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Execution: Jang Song Thaek, with his hands tied
with a rope, is shown being dragged into a military court shortly before his
execution for treason yesterday. Once powerful, he was the uncle of leader Kim
Jong Un
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Jang Sung-taek
(pronounced [tɕaŋ sʰʌŋtʰɛk]; January or February
1946 – 12 December 2013), also romanized as Jang Song-thaek, Chang
Sŏng-t'aek and other variations, was a leading figure in the government of North Korea. He was married
to Kim
Kyong-hui, the only daughter of former North Korean supreme leader Kim
Il-sung, the only sister of former North Korean supreme leader Kim
Jong-il and the aunt of Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea.
Although
the precise extent of Jang Sung-taek's power and position during his life
cannot be confirmed, in 2008 South Korean government officials and
academic North Korea experts suggested that he had taken on de facto
leadership over North Korea while Kim Jong-il's health was declining and when
Kim subsequently died. Jang was vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, a position
considered second only to that of the Supreme Leader. He is believed to have
been promoted to four-star
general around the time of Kim Jong-il's death as his first appearance in
uniform was while visiting Kim lying
in state. Jang was considered a "key policy adviser" to Kim
Jong-un.
In
December 2013, Jang was abruptly accused of being a counter-revolutionary and was stripped of all
his posts and expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). His photos
were removed from official media and his image digitally removed from photos with other North
Korean leaders. On 13 December, North Korea state media announced he had been
executed. There have been external reports that many members of his family have
also been killed.
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