Seoul says North Korea executes 5 senior security officials

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2017 file photo, a man watches a public TV screen showing a file image of North Korea's state security minister Kim Won Hong, who had been seen as close to leader Kim Jong Un, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea executed five senior security officials with anti-aircraft guns because they made false reports that "enraged" leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea's spy agency said Monday, Feb. 27. The spy agency told lawmakers that five North Korean officials in the department of recently purged Kim Won Hong were executed by anti-aircraft guns because of the false reports to Kim, South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) (The Associated Press)

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea's intelligence agency says North Korea has executed five senior security officials for making false reports to leader Kim Jong Un.

The comments by the National Intelligence Service in a private briefing to lawmakers Monday come as Malaysia investigates the poisoning death there of Kim's estranged elder half brother, Kim Jong Nam. That investigation is still going on, but South Korea says it believes Kim Jong Un ordered the assassination.

South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said the intelligence agency told lawmakers that five North Korean officials in the department of recently purged state security chief Kim Won Hong were executed by anti-aircraft guns for the false reports. It's not clear what false reports they allegedly made.

The NIS has a spotty record when reporting North Korea intelligence.