North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has had 15 senior officials killed as revenge for challenging him, South Korean authorities have alleged.

“Excuses or reasoning doesn’t work for Kim Jong Un,” South Korean intelligence committee member Shin Kyung-min told a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday.

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“His style of rule is to push through everything, and if there’s any objection, he takes that as a challenge to authority and comes back with execution as a showcase.”

The officials were executed by firing squad on charges of spying, the South Korea said.

Four members of the orchestra where the dictator’s wife previously performed were also killed, intelligence sources told Reuters.

The Kim dynasty has ruled reclusive and impoverished North Korea for more than six decades with an iron fist and a pervasive personality cult.

The young leader has already had his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executed in 2013.

He plans to visit Russia in May as his first international trip as leader of the impoverished nation.