NORTH KOREA: ANOTHER PURGE OF HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS

May 17, 2015: following the reported high-profile execution of Army chief Hyon Yong-chol, a source said a small number of follow-up purges had engulfed other top ranking officials who were close to Hyon. According to South Korea’s Chosun-Ilbo, citing South Korean intelligence reports, So Hong-chan, the armed forces vice minister, and other military officials had either been executed or demoted for failing to improve food rations for soldiers.
So, who was appointed in November of 2013, always accompanied leader Kim Jong-un to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of nation founder Kim Il-sung and former leader Kim Jong-il are displayed. But on 15 April 2015 he was absent from the ritual visit, and the last time he was spotted was on a factory visit with Kim in late March.
The source said one reason for the latest purges may be a failure by top brass to follow Kim's order to improve the living conditions of ordinary troops. The source said Kim ordered generals to feed their troops well, but instead they cut daily rations in a bid to boost rice reserves. (Sources: english.chosun.com, 18/05/2015)