A North Korean official widely deemed as the nation’s second most powerful figure has been missing for some time, raising speculation that he has been executed.

A North Korean official widely deemed as the nation's second most powerful figure has been missing for some time, raising speculation that he has been executed, notes Newsweek.
The apparent disappearance of Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so was first reported in November, with South Korea's National Intelligence Service telling lawmakers in Seoul that he'd been "punished" for having an "impure" attitude about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 
Notably, the New York Times reports that "the intelligence agency...did not use the phrases 'purge' or 'execution,' indicating that Vice Marshal Hwang was reprimanded but may still hold his job."
Hwang was reportedly last seen in public on October 13. 
Newsweek notes that he has vanished before, but not for this long. Hwang was absent for three weeks in December of 2015, a departure a South Korean media outlet suggested was for medical reasons. 
The belief that Hwang has been executed is largely based on both the amount of time he's been away and Kim Jong-un's history of handling officials who he believes have betrayed him. 
The leader has reportedly had numerous officials and even family members killed for reasons ranging from falling asleep in a meeting to perceived betrayal, according to The Telegraph.
Among those individuals was Kim's uncle General Jang Song-Thaek, who was declared a traitor.