North Korea execute top colonel for embezzling state reserve grain

A top North Korean colonel has reportedly been ex£cuted in front of his own men for allegedly embezzling state reserve grain.

The shooting left his officers ‘deeply shaken’, a Daily NK source in South Pyongan province said, adding: ‘Their faces turned pale. They left without making eye contact with each other.’

‘He was executed by firing squad on July 12 in front of members of his unit,’ the source said.

He was accused of secretly stealing several dozen tonnes of grain from a warehouse under his own command.

He then allegedly attempted to transport it by vehicle to Nampo port, before officials guarding the warehouse spotted him first and reported the incident.

Earlier in July, authorities arrested the senior colonel from a coastal guard unit based in Nampo for allegedly stealing large amounts of the military’s reserve grain.

He was taken to the Military Security Bureau for questioning.

He was referred to the court-martial and received the maximum sentence – execution – for stealing reserve grain amid a domestic food crisis.