South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un executed lead nuclear negotiator Kim Hyok Chol and four other senior foreign ministry officials in March, in punishment for the failure of February's Hanoi summit with President Trump. South Korea's government and acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said they can't or won't confirm the report, which Chosun Ilbo attributed to one unidentified source, but North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper also published an editorial Thursday with specific language it last used after a top official was executed in 2013.
The rumors of a post-summit purge aren't new. ABC News This Week's Jonathan Karl asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the rumored executions on May 5. Pompeo didn't confirm or deny them. "It does appear that the next time we have serious conversations that my counterpart will be someone else, but we don't know that for sure," he said, smiling. "Just as President Trump gets to decide who his negotiators will be, Chairman Kim will get to make his own decisions about who he asks to have these conversations."
It's not clear if the firing squad reports are true, and if so, whether the U.S. knew that three weeks ago. But if Pompeo knew, his response and body language are a little unsettling. "Secretary Pompeo in all likelihood knew when he answered this question that Kim Jong Un had executed and imprisoned his interlocutors," tweeted Ned Price, a former CIA officer and National Security Council spokesman. "His reaction says a lot about who Pompeo is and, more importantly, how he represents America and our values around the world."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sitesIn The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
-
China: Xi seeks to fill America’s voidFeature Trump’s tariffs are pushing nations eastward as Xi Jinping focuses on strengthening ties with global leaders
-
Rebrands: Bringing back the War DepartmentFeature Trump revives the Department of Defense’s former name
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
