Purge in North Korea

Kim Jong Un's recent disappearance has been linked to his overseeing what would be the third major purge in less than three years. Photo / AP

Six minister-level officials were executed according to respected paper.

As many as six senior members of the North Korean regime have apparently been purged in the latest bout of blood-letting in Pyongyang.

South Korean media reported that six officials - including the commanding officer of North Korea's air force, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and a key official in the North's sport programmes - have not been present at a series of important events in recent months.

An intelligence source told South Korea's respected JoongAng Ilbo newspaper that "six minister-level officials were executed".

There has been speculation about the health of Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, in recent weeks after he disappeared from local media reports for more than 40 days.

Kim has since reappeared and been shown on state media visiting military facilities and construction sites, apparently in an effort to underline that he retains a firm grip on the nation and to scotch rumours of a coup or unrest.

But the suggestion now is that the dictator disappeared to oversee what would be the third major purge in less than three years since he assumed power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011.

General Ri Pyong Chol has not been seen in public since late August and was conspicuous by his absence on October 19, when Kim provided "on-the-spot guidance" to senior officials of the air force.

Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the North Korean People's Army, did not attend a ceremony to congratulate athletes who returned from this month's Asian Games, in South Korea. Given that the majority of the athletes are members of the armed forces, Ri was expected to be present.

Sim Chol Ho, the Posts Minster, was reportedly close to Kim Jong Il and failed to attend a meeting with representatives of the Egyptian company that provides North Korea's mobile phone network.

Another official, Chang Ung, is understood to have had close ties with Jang Song Thaek, Kim's influential uncle, who was arrested in December 2013 and later executed for no fewer than 24 abuses of power or contraventions of North Korean law, including "gnawing at the unity and cohesion of the party" and "dreaming different dreams".

Many of Jang's closest allies were purged and it is something of a surprise that Chang, one of North Korea's representatives to the International Olympic Committee, lasted another 10 months. "He was known as an associate of Jang Song Thaek and an investigation into him revealed that he had embezzled IOC funds and hid the money in overseas accounts," the JoongAng Ilbo quoted a defector with knowledge of North Korea's sporting circles as saying.Telegraph Group Ltd