Seoul: North Korea`s Kim Jong-Un ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year, including several who complained about the young leader`s policies, South Korea`s intelligence agency said Wednesday.
Those executed included two vice minister-level officials, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing legislators who attended a briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Both were punished for opposing or complaining about Kim`s directives, the legislators said.
The Kim dynasty has ruled reclusive and impoverished North Korea for more than six decades with an iron fist and a pervasive personality cult.
The NIS suggested Kim Jong-Un was following the well-trodden path of his father and grandfather in using regular purges and executions to ensure discipline and loyalty.
Kim had his uncle and one-time political mentor Jang Song-Thaek executed in late 2013 on an array of charges, including treason and corruption.
Jang had played a key role in cementing the leadership of the inexperienced Kim, who took over after the death of his father and long-time ruler Kim Jong-Il in December 2011.
But analysts said Jang`s growing political power and intervention in lucrative trade deals was resented by his young nephew.