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| Kim Yong-chol: 'Purged' N Korean diplomat appears with Kim | Kim Yong-chol: 'Purged' N Korean diplomat appears with Kim |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A North Korean official who was reported to be in a labour camp attended a weekend concert alongside Kim Jong-un, state media said. | |
| Last Friday, Kim Yong-chol was widely reported to have been sent to a re-education camp as punishment. | Last Friday, Kim Yong-chol was widely reported to have been sent to a re-education camp as punishment. |
| North Korean media showed him apparently at a musical performance with other officials. | |
| A list of attendees identified him as present, though in footage his face is partly obscured by his hands. | |
| Kim Yong-chol, a former spymaster, has been described as the North Korean leader's right-hand man. | Kim Yong-chol, a former spymaster, has been described as the North Korean leader's right-hand man. |
| He travelled to the US in January to prepare for the second summit meeting between Mr Kim and President Trump, which was held in Vietnam. | He travelled to the US in January to prepare for the second summit meeting between Mr Kim and President Trump, which was held in Vietnam. |
| Kim Yong-chol's reported attendance at Sunday's concert does not guarantee that he was never sent to a labour camp. | Kim Yong-chol's reported attendance at Sunday's concert does not guarantee that he was never sent to a labour camp. |
| Reports of purges or the executions of high-ranking North Koreans who have fallen from favour are difficult to verify, and often prove inaccurate. | Reports of purges or the executions of high-ranking North Koreans who have fallen from favour are difficult to verify, and often prove inaccurate. |
| The reports on Friday - which began with an anonymous source quoted in a South Korean newspaper - also said that Kim Hyok-chol, a former North Korean envoy to the US, had been executed at an airport in Pyongyang. | The reports on Friday - which began with an anonymous source quoted in a South Korean newspaper - also said that Kim Hyok-chol, a former North Korean envoy to the US, had been executed at an airport in Pyongyang. |
| He was another key figure in talks ahead of the US-North Korea summit held in February. | He was another key figure in talks ahead of the US-North Korea summit held in February. |
| Kim Hyok-chol was not among the attendees listed for Sunday's event, but state media have not yet reported any execution or punishment so his whereabouts remain unclear. | Kim Hyok-chol was not among the attendees listed for Sunday's event, but state media have not yet reported any execution or punishment so his whereabouts remain unclear. |
| South Korean media and the government in Seoul have alleged purges in the past, but in several cases the individuals have later turned up alive and still alongside Kim Jong-un. | South Korean media and the government in Seoul have alleged purges in the past, but in several cases the individuals have later turned up alive and still alongside Kim Jong-un. |
| A prominent example of a North Korean falsely presumed executed is singer Hyon Song-wol, who in 2013 was alleged to have been shot in a "hail of machine gun fire while members of her orchestra looked on". | A prominent example of a North Korean falsely presumed executed is singer Hyon Song-wol, who in 2013 was alleged to have been shot in a "hail of machine gun fire while members of her orchestra looked on". |
| In 2018 though, the singer appeared in Seoul leading a visiting North Korean delegation ahead of the Winter Olympics. | In 2018 though, the singer appeared in Seoul leading a visiting North Korean delegation ahead of the Winter Olympics. |