Is Kim Jong-un's Aunt Dead? Kim Kyong-hui North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt and widow of executed eminence grise Jang Song-taek is believed to have died, possibly by her own hand.
A government source here on Sunday said Kim Kyong-hui, who has been out of the public eye either committed suicide or died from a heart attack. The source said intelligence services here believe Kim is dead but have not been able to confirm this, though they are also trying to find out whether she went abroad for medical treatment. Another government official said, "There are many rumors going around about Kim Kyong-hui, but we're not yet able to confirm any of them. " Kim Jong-Un had uncle stripped naked, thrown into a cage and eaten alive by dogs.
A pack of 120 starving dogs were set on Jang Song Thaek and five aidesKim Jong-Un and 300 officials watched horrific executionPunishment, called 'quan jue', or execution by dogs, lasted an hourUncle was accused of treachery and corruption by the brutal regimeKim has carried out a 'massive purge' of threats to consolidate his grip By Richard Shears Published: 09:20 GMT, 3 January 2014 | Updated: 00:38 GMT, 4 January 2014.
Jang executed for meeting with Kim Jong Nam, says expert. Jang Song Thaek was purged and executed because he met privately with Kim Jong Un’s older brother Kim Jong Nam, Professor Kang Myong-do said on Friday.
Rumors swirl about fate of Jang Song Thaek. Rumors are swirling about the fate of Jang Song Thaek, who North Korea executed on Thursday after a special military tribunal found him guilty of a wide range of anti-state and anti-party crimes.
While no information about his death was released by North Korean media, speculation that the uncle of Kim Jong Un may have been killed by machine gun has been raised in South Korea. Seo Sang-kee, a lawmaker and head of the South Korean legislature’s Intelligence Committee, said that Jang was likely executed by machine gun, just as his two aides were probably killed the week prior. Close up photos of Jang Song Thaek taken at the trial also show skin decoloring around his hand, suggesting possible torture prior to his execution. In South Korea YTN News pointed out that Jang Song Thaek’s cheek also looked bruised, though it was not immediately clear in the Rodong Sinmun’s own pictures. “I was there when the news broke out about the arrest. Picture: Rodong Sinmun. Four experts explain the impact of Jang Song Thaek’s execution. News of Jang Song Thaek’s Thursday execution is a significant development and one that could have far-reaching consequences for Kim Jong Un’s grip on power in the medium to long term.
But while official state media will continue stressing the legitimacy of Jang’s execution, the manner in which it was announced is unprecedented and will no doubt send a clear message to anyone thinking of challenging Kim’s leadership in future. How will this affect the future stability of North Korea? Should we expect imminent, high-level defections? Could this be the beginning of the end? To make sense of the startling developments, NK News spoke to leading experts Dr. Interviews conducted by Hamish Macdonald & Oliver Hotham Director, Korean Studies Program, Stanford This execution underlines the nature of the system: I think lots of people around the world find it hard to imagine that things like this happens in the 21st century, but now they find that they do. Korea Chair, CSIS.
Jang Song Thaek purge confirmed amid rumors of his execution. Amid rumors of his own execution, North Korean state media on Monday said that Jang Song Thaek had been “eliminated” from the party and his group “purged” – for reasons including corruption, factionalism, drug abuse, anti-state activities and womanizing.
The decision, the most public dismissal of a member of the Kim family and their associates in history, was made on Sunday at an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea, state media said. At the meeting, which was broadcast at length on Monday during a special transmission on North Korean state TV, Jang Song Thaek was shown being publicly arrested by security personnel in front of thousands of members of the Korean Worker’s Party. But in unconfirmed reports emerging Monday, Free North Korea Radio said that Jang and his aides had actually been executed on December 5, four days before the reported special meeting of the Political Bureau.
Picture: Korea Central TV. North Korea executes ‘traitor’ Jang Song Thaek. North Korean state media outlet the Korea Central News Agency has declared that Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of Kim Jong Un and former vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission, has been executed.
North Korea announced news that Jang had been tried in a special military tribunal in a bulletin released early Friday morning Korea time. “Every sentence of the decision served as sledge-hammer blow brought down by our angry service personnel and people on the head of Jang, an anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional element and despicable political careerist and trickster. “The accused is a traitor to the nation for all ages who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state and the socialist system,” the bulletin explained. ANALYSIS: The impact of Jang Song Thaek’s ouster. Since Kim Jong Il passed away in December 2011, concerns about the stability of the North Korean leadership have been numerous, but so far the smooth continuation of political and economic affairs has been a key priority.
The North Korea-watching community has therefore been taken aback by the rumored removal of Jang Sung Thaek, a figure with deep connections to the Kim family and involvement in maintaining administrative and economic matters. According to South Korean authorities’ reports, Jang – the de-facto No. 2 in North Korea – was removed as Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission at some point in November 2013.
According to unconfirmed reports, two of Jang’s aides – Jang Su Kil and Ri Yong Ha – were executed in mid-November for corruption and anti-state activities. Nevertheless, an analysis of Jang’s (apparently diminished) role in the regime indicates that this is not as destabilizing a change as it may appear.