North Korea to give death penalty to Kim Jong Un assassination plotters

Pyongyang : North Korea said it would impose the death penalty on those involved in an assassination plot against its top leader Kim Jong Un. Those involved in the assassination plot included former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, said a joint statement by the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of People's Security and the Central Public Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday.

According to the statement, North Korea demanded the immediate handover of Park by South Korea or it would face an "adverse effect" in relations with the North if Seoul refuses to do so, Xinhua news agency reported.

North Korea has got enough evidence to prove that Park started plotting to kill Kim since late 2015, said the statement. Park signed a specified operation plan of the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) made with the support of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to kill Kim through a car crash or train derailment, it said.

Pyongyang said it had foiled a plot in April to kill Kim during mass celebrations by NIS and CIA agents who have infiltrated into North Korea. The agents were all arrested and confessed to the crime. The method to kill Kim also included using biochemical and radioactive material when he appeared in public, said North Korean officials.

"There have been a series of revelations of state-sponsored terrorism of the enemies targeting the supreme leadership of North Korea," said the statement, which was carried by local media.