Did Kim Jong Un Execute Missile Operations Chief Over Musudan Failures? Speculations Arise After Kim Rak Gyom Misses Military Event

The absence of North Korea’s missile operations commander from a military event earlier this week has raised speculations that he may have been executed by Kim Jong Un, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday. The report also noted that Gen. Kim Rak Gyom’s absence could mean the country is preparing for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test-launch.

Kim Rak Gyom, the chief of strategic forces, was not to be seen at North Korean defense ministry's briefing session Tuesday to mark the 69th anniversary of the country’s armed forces, according to Yonhap. The country's top military official Hwang Pyong So reportedly headed the event, which was attended by the commanders of key military branches.

The missile operations chief has not been seen in public or any military event since last June sparking rumors that he may have been pulled up following a series of failed missile launches or executed due to these failures, the report noted. However, experts told the news agency that the country could be working on an ICBM launch.

"It could also be either that the strategic forces commander was replaced or he is occupied with other matters," Yang Moo Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said, according to Yonhap.

Last Friday, South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon Hee said that North Korea executed several officials of the state security ministry and fired its chief Kim Won Hong over suspicion of power abuse. Kim Won Hong is reported to be behind the December 2013 execution of Kim Jong Un’s uncle and high-profile leader Jang Song Thaek.

Last month, Pyongyang threatened to test the ICBM — reportedly capable of reaching the U.S. mainland — from any location and at any time. The warning sparked concerns in the U.S. and South Korea. There have been several speculations over when the reclusive state would launch the ICBM. However, the country has not made any such test so far.