Kim Jong-un’s ‘closest comrade’ dies in auto crash

The deaths of several North Korean officials have been put down to crashes in recent years.

The KCNA praised Kim, calling him a “devoted revolutionary comrade” for North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his grandson, current leader Kim Jong-un. No details of the accident were provided.

The KCNA called Kim “the closest comrade-in-arms” of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying that North Korea will hold a state funeral for Kim on Thursday, to be headed by the North’s leader.

None of those speculations has been independently confirmed as it’s nearly impossible to verify what is exactly happening among the ruling elite in the secretive, authoritarian North. But similar speculations again appeared in the South Korean media following Kim Yang Gon’s death, though without any substantial evidences.

Kim earned a reputation for brutality after unconfirmed reports emerged of a deadly clearing of the decks after he came to power in 2011, replacing his father Kim Jong-il.

The most dramatic example was the young leader’s uncle Jang Song Thaek, who was executed in 2013 and described by state media as “despicable human scum”. Country officials also “tend to flaunt traffic regulations”, Bloomberg reported.