Kim Jong Un ‘expels aide to farm’ for reeducation in bid to consolidate power

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have demoted one of his top officials and sent him to a rural collective farm for reeducation, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers.

If confirmed, the banishment of Choe Ryong Hae would be the latest in a series of executions, purges, and dismissals that Un has orchestrated in what analysts say is a strengthening of his grip on power since taking over in late 2011.

The office of lawmaker Shin Kyung-min said the National Intelligence Service disclosed the news in a closed-door briefing for members of the legislature’s intelligence committee.