North Korea has executed its defence chief by putting him in front of an anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, the latest in a series of high-level purges since Kim Jong-un took charge.

The publisher of an authorised best-seller about North Korean defector and human rights activist Shin Dong-hyuk has said it is anxious for an “accurate understanding” of the facts after he retracted substantial parts of his story.

Investigators have traced a co-ordinated cyber attack that paralysed tens of thousands of computers at six South Korean banks and media companies to a Chinese internet protocol address, but it is still unclear who orchestrated the attack, authorities in Seoul said.

A Chinese internet address was the source of a cyberattack on one company hit in a massive South Korean network shutdown that affected 32,000 computers at six banks and media companies, initial findings indicated today.

MINISTER for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin last night led tributes to renowned Irish human rights champion, Pat Rice who died this week unexpectedly, aged 64.