Seoul spy agency: Kim Jong Un is 'autocrat,' executed defense chief

SEOUL, July 14 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Un is an impatient autocrat who single-handedly decided to execute North Korean Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol, according to Seoul's spy agency on Tuesday.

South Korean lawmakers said National Intelligence chief Lee Byung-ho made the statements at a briefing before the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, Yonhap reported.

Kim also was the executive decision maker behind the undeleted footage of Hyon in the weeks that followed after his disappearance.

According to Seoul's spy chief, North Korean television continued to run past footage of Hyon under Kim's orders.

Kim, Lee said, believed the international community could use conspicuous deletions against Pyongyang because the erasure would serve as evidence of Hyon's execution.

South Korean newspaper Donga Ilbo reported Hyon was executed at the artillery range at Pyongyang's Kang Kon Military Academy.

Hundreds watched the execution, according to the NIS, and Kim forced top-ranking military officers to attend.

Kim may have executed other military personnel if they were loyal to Hyon or held grievances against Kim, Lee said, according to South Korean lawmaker Shin Kyung-min.

Shin said Kim had labeled Hyon as "anti-Workers' Party, and a counter-revolutionary."

Seoul said Kim Jong Un has made significant changes to government personnel since fully assuming power in 2012. Between 20 to 30 percent of Workers' Party members and government staff have rotated out, and 40 percent of the military has been replaced.

Lee said the moves reflect a change in direction for the current leadership and its mission to mitigate the military's power. By contrast, Kim's father Kim Jong Il believed in a strong army.

Seoul's spy agency said to counter the North's cyber attacks, it has purchased a smartphone hacking program from an Italian firm, according to South Korean news network YTN.

North Korea is currently undertaking large-scale preparations for the 70th anniversary of the Korean Workers' Party and thousands of performers are preparing to perform at the Taedong River that flows through Pyongyang.

The NIS announcement offered a diverging view from the Unification Ministry's statement on Monday that Hyon's execution remains unconfirmed.