Japanese media reported that North Korea executed Ri Su-yong, believed to have been the main handler of

Japanese media reported that North Korea executed Ri Su-yong, believed to have been the main handler of former leader Kim Jong-il’s slush fund. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, citing multiple sources close to Pyongyang’s leadership, said that Ri’s execution was related to the purging of Jang Song-thaek. Ri, who was named Pyongyang's ambassador to Bern in 1988, handled some $4 billion that Kim had stashed away during his tenure in Switzerland. He used the alternative name Ri Chol during his time there. After returning to North Korea in 2010, Ri aided Jang's efforts to attract foreign capital, a position that enabled him to become deeply involved in trade with China. The Japanese paper said that Ri may have had disagreements with Pyongyang’s current leader Kim Jong-un about how to deal with his father’s money. However, diplomatic sources in Beijing said Ri's whereabouts were unclear. He might have fled to China, but another source said he had already been arrested in North Korea. The Mainichi Shimbun report of the death of Ri Su Yong could not be confirmed by South Korea's Unification Ministry, the Chosun Ilbo reported on 12 December. "We don't know whether Ri was executed or not," said a ministry official, who noted an official who looked like Ri was seen at a Politburo meeting on 8 December.