North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered to execute two top officials publicly with an anti-aircraft gun, South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported quoting sources.

It is reported that the executed officials were Hwang Min, former agricultural minister, and Ri Yong-jin, who had a senior position in the education ministry, possibly as high as minister level.  The first was presumably executed for political initiatives which weren't pleasant to Kim Jong-un and which he took “as a direct challenge to his leadership," the second was apparently killed for nodding off during a meeting with Kim. According to the source, Yong-jin was detained on the spot and after interrogation accused of corruption.

The newspaper underlines that this is the first case of public execution of officials in North Korea since Kim Jong-un’s presidency.