If the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) is to be believed, another high-level purge has just occurred in North Korea. Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol was just executed for his lack of respect and insubordination toward Kim Jong Un. At least, this is what the NIS representative said.

Of course, one has to be somewhat cautious about such reports. North Korean politics is a murky business indeed. In the past we have seen how people long believed to have been purged and killed suddenly reappear and even get a high position. It is not impossible that the NIS has its own reasons for releasing this news, and such reasons may not be journalistic.