North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s guards ‘face prospects of execution
By Jennifer S Kuwanta
North Korean news blogger, Michael Madden, says some bodyguards could face execution for letting leader Kim Jong-un leave the country wearing soiled clothing.
Last week, propaganda images showed the dictator inspecting a missile launch while wearing a stain on his shirt.
It was reported in North Korea that Kim’s servants would be penalised for failing to “guard his dignity” since his jacket seemed to be covered with white stains.
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According to Michael Madden, those who caused the stain could face promotions or hard labour, but even the death penalty could not be ruled out.
‘My initial reaction was OMFG,’ he said. ‘Personnel who have irritated the supreme leader are usually punished with demotions, hardship assignments or labour education.
‘It is unlikely that anyone will get shot over something like this – unless the leader is feeling particularly mercurial.
‘But if he got angry about this then a few people will probably get sent to a construction site or a farm for a month or two to think about this minor transgression.’
He added: ‘It is not unheard of to be sent away for execution.
‘There are accounts of the leader’s father, Kim Jong-il, having bodyguards and members of his personal staff sent to prisons and in one case to the firing squad for very minor offenses.
‘One unconfirmed story is that a member of his personal staff sat at his desk and smoked one of his cigarettes. Kim Jong-il discovered this and had the man shot.’
The guards might have to submit an apologetic letter, according to Madden, who runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website, in order to have their penalty lightened.
Nevertheless, he added that it was also possible that Kim might get away with it because “he is much less prone to mood swings and problems with emotional regulation than his father.”
