(Newser)
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Thirty North Korean officials who took part in talks with South Korea were either executed or died in "staged traffic accidents" for failing to improve relations, according to Amnesty International. The human rights group's annual report found that another 200 were arrested in January as the regime transferred power from Kim Jong-il to his son, Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang typically rounds up officials who fail to satisfy the regime, even when they're only carrying out orders, the Telegraph reports.
The regime also seems to be prepping a nuclear test blast. A South Korean spokesman says all preparations are complete for a long-awaited test, and satellite photos of the Punggye-ri site show that Pyongyang has filled up a tunnel there—meaning the nuke is ready to go. It may even launch on Memorial Day: "Holidays or sad commemorations like Memorial Day weekend is when the leadership tries to provoke the democratic allies into action," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
