Kim Jong-un 'executed vice-premier' over forestry criticism

He was killed after he "expressed discomfort against the young leader's forestation policy", according to the South Korean news agency, Yonhap. The 63-year old was reportedly executed by firing squad earlier this year. Choe was last seen in public in December and had been in the job for just under a year.

He had represented North Korea in trade talks in Seoul in the mid-2000s and his promotion to vice-premier was seen by some as a sign Pyongyang was keen to maintain close ties with the South, the BBC reports.

If confirmed, it is the latest in series of high-level executions to take place under Kim's totalitarian rule. At least 70 high-ranking officials are thought to have been killed since Kim came to power in 2011.

In May, it was reported North Korea's defence minister had been executed by anti-aircraft weapons in front of an audience of hundreds.

The most high-profile execution was in 2013, when Kim's uncle and second-in-command Jang Song-Thaek was sentenced to death after a military tribunal found him guilty of treason. He was also condemned for "half-hearted clapping" during a ceremony for his nephew.