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The tubby tyrant has reinforced his iron grip on power with a ruthless purge of the hermit kingdom’s elite.

Only this month, it emerged that Kim Jong-un had sent his own stepmum to die in a concentration camp.

And it’s just the beginning, with experts warning he will kill many more before the year is out.

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A source informed about the communist country told South Korea’s Joongang Daily newspaper about Kim’s killing spree.

"After Kim Jong-un took office, an average of 30 people were publicly executed every year," he said.

"But 60 people were killed by August this year alone, more than twice the average.

"If this continues, far more people will die by the end of this year."

A number of those killed were arrested in an ideological crackdown in early May.

It was the same month the regime hosted the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Also executed – on charges of espionage – were the family of one defector who managed to escape the country.

Brokers who arranged overseas money transfers and helped people flee the nation were convicted on the same charge and killed.

(Image: GETTY)

Kim has even introduced tougher punishments for people caught watching overseas movies ahead of an intensive labour campaign dubbed the 200-Day Battle.

"At the end of May, before the campaign started in June, Kim ordered a major crackdown by the security agencies," another source revealed.

"The ‘battle’ is an ideology competition. Anyone who can’t keep up doesn’t deserve to live in the North," he quoted Kim as saying.

As part of the campaign, Kim has reportedly restarted a group called The March 12 Task Force to arrest all unemployed people.