North blasts South Korean media amid rumors of defence chief's execution

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday condemned South Korean media for "hurting its highest dignity," after they have stirred up a rumor that a senior DPRK defense official has been executed.

The editorial bureau of Uriminzokkiri, a major publicity website of the DPRK, said in a statement that the South Korean media are keenly launching a "war of press" by hyping the DPRK leadership as practicing "politics of purge" and "political terrorism."

It also slammed Kim Moo-sung, a delegate of South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party, who said the political system of the DPRK is unstable and Seoul should immediately make preparations to "unite the peninsula."

The statement also urged South Korea to stop slandering the DPRK's dignity and its system.

However, the statement did not mention if the rumored execution of Hyon Yong Chol, minister of People's Armed Forces, was true or not.

South Korean analysts have claimed that the fact that Pyongyang's first reaction was not to deny the alleged execution but to blast South Korean media for defaming the country's dignity suggests that the chances are high that the rumor is true.