[WhonyGataxott]

Thirty officials of the North Korean regime who were involved in talks with South Korea have been executed or died in "staged traffic accidents," according to a human rights report.

Image 1 of 2
Shin Dong-hyuk poses with book Escape from Camp 14: In 2005, Shin escaped North Korea's Camp 14, a prison holding political enemies of the state Photo: REUTERS

• 
  Article
  South Korea condemns North's plans to launch rocket as 'grave provocation'
• 
  Article
  Kim Jong-il calls for peace with South Korea in 'will'
• 
  Video
  N Koreans destroy lifelike effigy of S Korean leader

By Julian Ryall in Tokyo

11:10AM BST 25 May 2012


In its annual study, Amnesty International claimed that in addition to the 30 who died in purges last year, a further 200 were rounded up in January this year by the State Security Agency as Pyongyang carried out the transfer of power from Kim Jong-il, who died of an apparent heart attack in December, and his 29-year-old son, Kim Jong-un.

Of those 200, Amnesty said, some were apparently executed and the remainder were sent to political prison camps. The gulag system presently contains an estimated 200,000 people in "horrific conditions," the group said.

North Korea has a habit of executing bureaucrats who are perceived to have failed the regime, even though they are often merely carrying out the orders of higher-ranking officials or members of the ruling family.

In 2010, Pak Nam-gi, the former head of the finance department of the Workers' Party, was reportedly executed by firing squad for the catastrophic attempt to reform the impoverished nation's currency. The result was rampant inflation and food shortages became even more acute.

The 30 men executed for failing to improve Pyongyang's ties with Seoul are considered scapegoats for the new low point in inter-Korean ties.

Related Articles

• North Korea ramps up work at nuclear site
  22 May 2012
• North Korea 'resuming work' on nuclear reactor
  17 May 2012
• North Korea upgrades missile site
  16 May 2012
• North Koreans 'secretly watching foreign media'
  11 May 2012

Their task would have been made immeasurably more difficult given North Korea's insistence with pushing ahead with its development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In spite of universal condemnation of its failed attempt to launch what Pyongyang claimed was a rocket to put a satellite into orbit in April, North Korea appears to be putting the finishing touches to a test detonation of a nuclear device.
Kim Min-seok, a spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of Defence, said on Thursday that intelligence reports indicate the North has completed its technical preparations to carry out the long-awaited test and that it could go ahead at any time.
Satellite images of the Punggye-ri site and other data show that the tunnel that had been excavated for the test has been refilled, indicating that the nuclear device has been put in place.
There is speculation that the test may be timed to coincide with the Memorial Day national holiday in the United States, which falls in Monday.
"The North Korean regime is hell-bent on being a belligerent actor," said Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, during a visit to Seoul with a congressional delegation. "And I think that on holidays or sad commemorations like Memorial Day weekend is when the leadership tries to provoke the democratic allies into action."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...accidents.html

[gregmcal]

That place is a madhouse run by madmen. I think they are a ticking time bomb able to blow at any moment.

[Leczyslaw]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...sia/northkorea The insanity of government cannot be satisfied so the Queen yells, "Off with their heads!"

I assume these people are whisked away. Are there trials? Sounds like America almost. I like the 10% rule of thumb. If the Govt admits something, thats only 10% of it. If the US Govt is persecuting someone in public there's probably 9 more they're doing out of public view. If that is true then there's maybe not that much difference between some of these places and the US as it is today.

[Leczyslaw]

Told self make it good can't edit. Quoted wrong thing. Meant this one.

North Korea has a habit of executing bureaucrats who are perceived to have failed the regime, even though they are often merely carrying out the orders of higher-ranking officials or members of the ruling family.