North Korea's Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol has been executed, South Korea's spy agency has told parliament, according to media reports.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that MPs were told Mr Hyon had been killed on 30 April by anti-aircraft fire in front of an audience.
He is believed to have been accused of showing disloyalty to North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.
Reports from North Korea are impossible to independently confirm.
There were few details of the reported execution, but Yonhap - quoting South Korea's National Intelligence Agency briefing - said Mr Hyon had fallen asleep during an event attended by Kim Jong-un.
Mr Hyon is believed to have been a general since 2010, though little is known about him. He served on the committee for late leader Kim Jong-il's funeral in December 2011, an indication of his growing influence.
He became defence minister in 2012 following a purge which saw several senior officials executed.
-BBC