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The National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced that former North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, who played a significant role in the two summit talks between North Korea and the United States, has been purged.

However, the NIS said that Japanese media reports that former Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho was executed were not confirmed.



Ahn Jung-sik is a reporter specializing in North Korea.



[Reporter



] Former Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, who assisted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the North Korea-US summits in Singapore and Hanoi, directed North Korea's diplomacy.



[Ri Yong-ho/Former North Korean Foreign Minister (March 2019): There will be no change in principle, and our plan will not change in the event that the US side proposes negotiations again in the future.]



April 2020 State Affairs The National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced in a National Assembly Intelligence Committee report that Ri Yong-ho, whose whereabouts were unknown after being dismissed from the committee, was purged.



However, the NIS drew a line about the execution theory recently reported by the Japanese media.



[Yoon Geon-yeong/Democratic Party Secretary of the National Assembly Information Committee: Regarding former Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, it was confirmed whether there was a purge, but whether or not he was executed was not confirmed.]



The specific reason for the purge was not mentioned.



It is known that Park Jeong-chun, who was dismissed from his post at the recent Labor Party plenary meeting, was reprimanded for overall command responsibility.



[Yoo Sang-beom/National Assembly Intelligence Committee People's Power Secretary: (Park Jeong-cheon dismissed) is seen as culpable, such as insufficient military readiness during training and sluggish military command and leadership...

.]



In the second half of last year, in the process of armed demonstrations against South Korea with missiles, artillery fire, and mass sorties of military aircraft, the fact that some fighters crashed or could not even take off, rather revealing the weaknesses of the North Korean military may have had an effect.



Regarding Kim Jong-un accompanying his daughter Joo-ae, the National Intelligence Service said it was showing its commitment to hereditary succession, but did not judge him as the successor.



Regarding the Chinese restaurant suspected by the Chinese secret police, it was reported that the restaurant owner's explanation was different from the facts, and that it was reviewing whether it violated diplomatic relations agreements or the Immigration Control Act.



(Video coverage: Lee Chan-soo, Video editing: Ha Seong-won)