London: A North Korean official has been executed with a mortar shell blast for disrespecting late Kim Jong-il by drinking alcohol during the 100-day mourning period, the Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.
South Korean media claim Kim Chol, the ex-vice minister of the Army, was forced to stand on a spot that had been targeted with a mortar on the orders of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Kim, who took over from his father after his death in December 2011, demanded Kim Chol was "obliterated", with "no trace of him behind, down to his hair" in January.
It followed the regime`s decision to order its 25 million population to abstain from pleasurable activities, including drinking alcohol, in honour of Kim Jong-il.
As an initial crack down on pleasure, anyone found to be not showing extreme distress in the hours after the dictator`s death were dealt with severely by being sent to six months in labour camps, the Mail said citing reports from the Stalinist nation.
It was claimed that anyone who failed to turn up at organised mourning events within two days of the burial service were sent to a labour camp and punishment was also meted out to anyone who even made a mobile phone call out of the country.
But when the mourning period to mark Kim Jong-il`s burial was over and the strict "no pleasure" 100 days followed, anyone who raised a glass of alcohol was in danger of receiving a death sentence.
According to South Korea`s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, Kim Chol was one of those who failed to resist the chance of having a drink.
IANS
