North Korea has purged a total of 340 people since leader Kim Jong-un took control of the communist country in 2011, an indication that Kim is continuing his reign of terror to consolidate his power, according to a white paper released Thursday by a state-run think tank. The white paper published by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by the National Intelligence Service, revealed that Kim has committed flagrantly inhumane acts by removing senior officials, including his once-powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek, who was executed in 2013 for treason, and residents in an apparent attempt to secure his grip on power.