A North Korean general was allegedly executed by Kim Jong-un by being thrown into a piranha-filled fish tank after being accused of plotting a coup, according to reports.

Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un tried out the gruesome execution method (Image: Getty)

Kim Jong-un reportedly executed a general by plunging him into 'a piranha-filled fish tank.'

The unnamed general, accused of plotting a coup, is said to be the one of the casualties of this novel execution method, as reported by the Daily Star.

It's claimed the enormous fish tank was built within Kim's Ryongsong home.

Allegedly, the victim had his arms and torso slashed with knives before being cast into the tank.

Sources suggest it remains uncertain whether the general was killed by the fish, succumbed to his wounds or drowned.

james bond

He got the idea from James Bond (Image: MGM)

The North Korean leader is believed to have drawn inspiration from the 1977 James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me', according to the report.

In the film, antagonist Karl Stromberg dispatches his adversaries by casting them into a shark-infested aquarium.

Kim's aquarium is thought to house several hundred piranhas 'imported from Brazil.'

These carnivorous fish possess razor-sharp teeth capable of stripping flesh from a body in just minutes.

Piranha

The tank was filled with Piranha fish (Image: Mirror Screen Grab)

Since assuming power in 2011, Kim has allegedly eliminated 16 senior officials.

He has previously executed his army chief, the CEO of North Korea's Central Bank and the ambassadors in Cuba and Malaysia.

A UK intelligence source told the Daily Star: "Kim rules by fear.

"Many enemies of the state are executed in public.

"He wants everyone to know, including his most trusted aides, that they are at risk of suffering a very unpleasant death if he suspects they are treasonous.

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"The use of piranha is classic Kim.

"He is all about using fear and terror as a political tool. Whether or not the use of piranhas is an efficient way of killing someone won't bother him."