Seoul, May 31: Four top officials and the "special nuclear envoy to the US" have been executed by the Kim Jong-un regime in North Korea following the failed summit with United States President Donald Trump in Hanoi, reported leading dailies in neighbouring South Korea. North Korea Launches Several Short-Range Missiles into East Sea.

According to The Chosun Ilbo, a Seoul-based newspaper, Pyongyang has murdered Kim Hyok Chol, the special envoy who laid down the groundwork for two back-to-back summits with Washington.

Chol was charged of "betraying the supreme leader" and being "won over by the US" during the summit's pre-negotiations. He was gunned down in ruthless manner by the official firing squad, the report claimed.

The four other officials executed by North Korea were yet to be identified by the paper. Notably, the credibility of The Chosun Ilbo remains doubtable as it had incorrectly reported in 2013 the "state-killing" of Hyon Song Wol, head of the North's Samjiyon Orchestra.

US-North Korea Tensions Resurface

Following the failed summit in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, both sides have resorted to sabre-rattling. While Jong Un has carried out two short-range missile tastes, the US has warned of decimating action against the North if it issues fresh security threats.

President Trump, while addressing the press earlier this week, said he is not concerned about the actions of Jong Un, saying that Pyongyang would be choosing a destructive path by walking away from negotiations.

The Trump regime has laid down a stringent condition before the North, asking it to completely retract from the nuclear armament race in order to repeal the sanctions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2019 02:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).