North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly had his ex-lover executed by a firing squad last week, along with 11 other members of a performing arts group accused of making pornographic videos.
The dozen members of the performing groups Unhasu Orchestra and Wangjaesan Light Music Band were arrested Aug. 17 for violating North Korea's laws against pornography when they reportedly
videotaped themselves having sex and then sold the tapes, according to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
"They were executed with machine guns while the key members of the Unhasu Orchestra, Wangjaesan Light Band, and Moranbong Band as well as the families of the victims looked on," a Chinese source told the newspaper.
Urgent: Should Obamacare be Repealed? Vote Here Now
Hyon Song-wol, a well-known pop singer, is rumored to have dated Jong Un for a period of time 10 years ago before he was married. The two reportedly broke up after Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, interfered, but sources say they have
carried on an affair, according to Fox News.
Jong Un's current wife, Ri Sol-ju, was also a member of the Unhasu Orchestra before she married the supreme leader. Some speculate that she may have wanted to get rid of her husband's ex-girlfriend.
"Kim's wife once belonged to the same group, it is possible that these executions are more about Kim's wife,"
Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and an authority on North Korean affairs, told The Daily Telegraph.
Shigemura also said the motivation could have been political.
"If these people had only made pornographic videos, then it is simply not believable that their punishment was execution," he said. "They could have been made to disappear into the prison system there instead. There is a political reason behind this."
Song-wol was well known in North Korea for songs like "A Girl in the Saddle of a Steed," "Footsteps of Soldiers," and "We are Troops of the Party."
Latest: Do You Support Giving Illegals Citizenship? Vote Here Now
Related stories:
Kim Jong Un Just Wants Respect
Does Kim Jong Un Have a Secret Daughter? Dennis Rodman Says So
Psychoanalyst Heath King: Kim Jong Un Logical, Not Irrational