In May 2019 the South Korean newspaper "The Chosun Ilbo" claimed that, in the aftermath of the failed Hanoi summit, Kim Hyok-chol and another four officials had been executed at Mirim Airport, Sadong-guyok, Pyongyang in March 2019. It was also indicated that some other participants, among them Kim Yong-chol, were sent to reeducation camps. The report remained unconfirmed and unsupported by other sources. In early June, state media of the DPRK published a photo of Kim Yong-chol at a public event with Kim Jong-un and CNN indicated, based on multiple sources, that Kim Hyok-chol was alive and in custody.