'Purged' North Korean diplomat reappears alongside Kim Jong-Un

KENA BETANCUR / AFP

A top North Korean official has appeared in public with the country's top brass, defying previous reports that he had been the victim of a high-profile purge.

North Korean media on Sunday showed Kim Yong Chol attending a musical performance on Sunday, alongside leader Kim Jong-un.

This comes just days after South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that the official was sent to a labour camp as punishment following the collapse of the Kim-Trump summit in Hanoi.

The report added that another top envoy Kim Hyok-chol was executed by a firing squad.

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