North Korea executed its special envoy to the United States following the collapse of the second summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, according to reports.
A South Korean newspaper said Kim Hyok Chol, who laid the groundwork for the Hanoi meeting and accompanied Kim on his private train, was executed by firing squad for betraying the supreme leader after he was turned by the US.
Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March at Mirim Airport along with four senior foreign ministry officials following an investigation, the publication said quoting unidentified sources.
Kim Hyok Chol was the Norths counterpart of US special representative Stephen Biegun in the run-up to the Hanoi summit in February.
South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, declined to comment on the report.
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The newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, also said Kim Jong Uns interpreter Shin Hye Yong was sent to a prison camp for a mistake at the summit.
She failed to translate Kims new proposal when Trump declared no deal and walked away from the table, it was also reported.
Kim Jong Un and Trump left the Vietnamese capital without a deal after they failed to reach agreement on rolling back Pyongyangs nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
The North has since sought to raise the pressure and carried out two short-range miRead More – Source
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