Pyongyang pop and flowers: last days of North Korea's defense chief

[WorldNews]

By James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean defense minister Hyon Yong Chol settled into a concert hall seat on an evening in late April to watch Pyongyang's best-known pop act, the Moranbong Band, perform hits including "Glorious Motherland" and "My Country is the Best". If confirmed, it would be the latest in a string of purges under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. According to reports in North Korean state media, his last days were packed with pomp, ceremony, and the exchange of bows and floral baskets in honor of the system that ultimately appears to have killed him. Born in rural North Hamgyong province in 1949, Hyon was educated at Pyongyang's prestigious military colleges and spent his entire career in the army.

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