By Brian Han

Considering that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly executed some 70 government and military officials since coming into power back in 2011, his latest move comes off as merciful.

Communist party secretary Choe Ryong-hae botched a major hydroelectric power plant project earlier this year during which a water tunnel had collapsed during construction, which is a big deal considering that the country already relies on dwindling resources.

The punishment?

He was sent to a farm in early November for “re-education” stated South Korean state spy agency National Intelligence Service (NIS) according to Yonhap News.

In a separate report, the organization revealed that more and more top government and military officials chose to defect due to the growing severity of Kim’s punishments.

Keep in mind that in many of the photos that the communist country releases to the public, Choe usually stands right beside Kim Jong-un as one of his top aides.

Their close relationship certainly seems to have paid off because the NIS mentioned that he will be reinstated although no timeline was provided.