North Korea executes members of Workers' Party for watching South Korean soap operas...

As many as 50 senior members of the North Korean government and military have been publicly executed so far this year, according to South Korea's intelligence agency.

The victims of the purges - which the National Intelligence Service believes are continuing - include 10 members of the ruling Workers' Party who were executed by firing squad for watching South Korean soap operas, bribery or womanising.

Many of the officials singled out by Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, were reportedly close to Jang Song-thaek, Mr Kim's uncle, who was arrested in December 2013 and executed for a series of crimes against the state.

 The ongoing elimination of Jang's allies indicates that Mr Kim is getting rid of potential sources of opposition and building his own power base, although executing a member of the party for watching a South Korean television show hints at a trumped-up charge. Full story...

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