A bodyguard is likely to face slaughter by firing squad for letting North Korean President Kim Jong-un to leave home with white stains on his coat.
Last week, as the supreme leader was scrutinizing a missile launch, propaganda photos caught an irregularity.
Kim’s employees feared they would be penalised for failing to uphold his dignity because his jacket appeared to be covered in white stains.
Michael Madden, a North Korean specialist, said individuals accountable could face promotions or hard labor, but even execution could not be ruled out.
‘But if he got angry about this then a few people will probably get sent to a construction site or a farm for a month or two to think about this minor transgression.’
He added: ‘It is not unheard of to be sent away for execution.
‘There are accounts of the leader’s father, Kim Jong-il, having bodyguards and members of his personal staff sent to prisons and in one case to the firing squad for very minor offenses.
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‘One unconfirmed story is that a member of his personal staff sat at his desk and smoked one of his cigarettes. Kim Jong-il discovered this and had the man shot.’
Mr Madden, who runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website, said the culprits might write a letter of apology to minimise their punishment.
But he said it was also possible that Kim lets it slide ‘since he is far less prone to mood swings and problems with emotional regulation than his father’.