A senior government minister in North Korea has been “executed by flame-thrower”, according to media reports.

O Sang-hon was killed, a source told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper, because of his links to Kim Jong-un’s purged uncle, Jang Song-thaek.

The paper said the horrific execution method was employed because Mr O, who headed up the ministry of public security, had turned the department into a “personal protection squad” for Mr Jang.

North Korea’s controversial leader branded Mr Jang, once one of the most powerful men in the country, “despicable human scum worse than a dog”. He was executed after a military tribunal found him guilty of treason.

The regime has now executed or interned 11 high-ranking officials with links to Mr Jang, according to Chosun Ilbo.

Three members of Jang’s family have also been executed, including his sister and her husband, added the paper.