South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told the Parliament in an intelligence on briefing Tuesday that Choe Ryong Hae had apparently sent to a “re-education” farm in the countryside in North Korea in early November, Shin Kyung-min, a lawmaker who attended the briefing, told CNN.
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The NIS said Choe was probably purged to take the blame for a water leak at a power station completed in late October at Mount Paekdu near the border with China. The rationale for his exile is just not known still the NIS stated it might be due to variations of opinion with Kim, or due to the poor high quality of construction of the Baekdusan Power Plant, stated to be part of Choe’s remit.
“Choe Ryong-hae is believed to be living at a farm in Hamkyong Province starting this month”, the source said, without elaborating on a specific location.
However, it was unclear how NIS had obtained the information, AP reported.
Keep in mind that in numerous photos that the communist country releases to the public, Choe usually stands right beside Kim Jong-un as one of his top aides. In September he attended a military parade in Beijing marking the end of World War II on behalf of Kim. In addition to Choe’s alleged incompetence, South Korean intelligence suggested that Kim and Choe encountered personal disagreements.
But speculation about his fate flared earlier this month after his name wasn’t in a list of top officials forming a funeral committee for a late marshal.
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North Korea experts point out that it’s possible Choe disappearance may only be temporary as Choe has been purged and re-instated once before. The agency saved face in 2013 when it said Jang was executed, days before Pyongyang announced the former No. 2 had been executed for treason.
