Has trusted North Korean official who once delivered special message from Kim to China's president been purged?

A state funeral in North Korea has sparked another fresh round of purge rumours after one of Kim Jong-un’s most powerful aides was omitted from the official funeral committee list.

Marshal Ri Ul-sol, who died of lung cancer at the weekend, is to be given a state funeral on November 11, and the list of 107 names published on Sunday - headed by leader Kim Jong-un - is an official Who’s Who of the top political and military hierarchy.

A notable absentee, however, is Choe Ryong-hae, a member of the ruling party’s politburo standing committee and seen as one of Kim’s closest confidantes.

Even if unwell, Choe would normally be on the list and experts said the omission of someone of his stature could not be put down to oversight.

“It’s almost impossible that this happened unless Choe ... was removed from key positions,” said Cheong Seong-chang, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think-tank in Seoul.