SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean newspaper is reporting that North Korea executed a senior envoy involved in nuclear negotiations with the U.S. as well as four other high-level officials. But as ever with North Korea there are reasons to be cautious about the purported purge.

While North Korea hasn't used its propaganda services to comment, Friday's report in the conservative Chosun Ilbo daily could be true.

North Korea has previously executed scapegoats to atone for political flops, and the most recent summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump ended in failure.

But it's important to note that both South Korean media and the government in Seoul have a history of reporting scoops about the inner workings of North Korea that turn out to be wrong.