[King Gizzard]

Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-thaek executed, say North Korean state media

Announcement follows accusations of corruption, drug use, gambling, womanising and leading 'dissolute and depraved life'

Tania Branigan in Beijing
theguardian.com, Friday 13 December 2013 01.08 GMT



Jang Song-thaek, his hands tied with a rope, is led into court by uniformed personnel. Photograph: Yonhap/Reuters

North Korea has executed Kim Jong-un's uncle as a "traitor for all ages" who sought to grab power, state media announced early this morning.

Jang Song-thaek, previously one of the country's most powerful men, was ousted last week in a spectacular purge. He was stripped of all posts and expelled from the Workers party for offences including factionalism, corruption and dissolute behaviour.

But many had thought his marriage to Kim's aunt – the sister of late leader Kim Jong-il – might save his life until this morning's announcement, which also holds him responsible for other failures in the North, including a disastrous attempt at currency reform in 2010.

State news agency KCNA said a special military tribunal had found him guilty of treason and the Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried a photograph of him handcuffed and held by uniformed guards in the courtroom.

"From long ago, Jang had a dirty political ambition. He dared not raise his head when Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were alive," KCNA said, referring to Kim's grandfather and father.

"He began revealing his true colours, thinking that it was just the time for him to realise his wild ambition in the period of historic turn when the generation of the revolution was replaced."

That was when Jang – who had been purged twice before – moved to the forefront of North Korean politics again. It was assumed that Kim Jong-il wanted to ensure a smooth path to power for his son and successor Kim Jong-un. Jang was seen as a mentor figure or even regent for the young leader.

KCNA added: "The accused Jang brought together undesirable forces and formed a faction as the boss of a modern day factional group for a long time and thus committed such hideous crimes as attempting to overthrow the state."

Adam Cathcart, an expert on North Korea, said accusations of factionalism and seeking power were "pro forma" in such cases, particularly when the penalty was so harsh.

But he noted how specific the charges were and added: "There certainly were discussions about the direction North Korea would take [when Kim Jong-il died]. It would be natural for Jang to want to be part of a collective leadership system.

"But North Korea is not moving towards a collective system: it's all about the one leader, whether he is 30 or 69 years old. If he was 18 he would still be a genius. It's the divine right of Kims."

Kim has made sweeping changes to the hierarchy in North Korea, changing key military personnel repeatedly as well as removing civilian members. But Jang's execution is unprecedented because family members are normally dealt with more leniently and quietly.

It is unclear whether the position of his wife Kim Kyong Hui – who was also seen as something of a mentor for Kim following her brother's death – has been affected.

Two of his aides are believed to have been executed already and many analysts believe that more will follow.

"The drama of this and the speed of this and the sense of a bit of improvisation going on – that's somewhat alarming," said Cathcart.

But he added: "Kim has been very lucky in the external environment and I think he will continue to be. For all the bile directed from South Korea, Japan and the US and even China, none of those countries are interested in grabbing this hornet's nest and shaking it right now."

The KCNA report accuses Jang of letting people who had been previously dismissed return to work for the party as he sought to form a faction.

It attacked Jang as "worse than a dog" and accused him of working in earnest to claim power after Kim Jong-il's death two years ago.

He was also criticised for trying to project himself "as a special being on a par" with the leader and for only "half-heartedly clapping" when Kim Jong-un became vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission before his father's death.

In the US, Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said: "If confirmed, this is another example of the extreme brutality of the regime."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...thaek-executed

[Tom4784]

I wonder what he actually did, if he did anything at all.

[Livia]

"He was also criticised for trying to project himself "as a special being on a par" with the leader and for only "half-heartedly clapping" when Kim Jong-un became vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission before his father's death."

Only half-heartedly clapping? The b*stard...

[Z]

I heard they were going through archived footage and literally erasing Jang Song-thaek from existence; all of his speeches and prominent appearances in footage is gone.

[Livia]

Blimey, it's like Nineteen Eighty Four. I feel sorry for oridinary people in North Korea it must be a terrifying place to live. It's hard to believe regimes like this still exist.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

Blimey, it's like Nineteen Eighty Four. I feel sorry for oridinary people in North Korea it must be a terrifying place to live. It's hard to believe regimes like this still exist.

My brother was in North Korea a few months ago, going there as a tourist sounds like a bizarre experience

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Niazareth

My brother was in North Korea a few months ago, going there as a tourist sounds like a bizarre experience

I remember reading his blog, it sounded like a very creepy experience.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

I remember reading his blog, it sounded like a very creepy experience.

Yeah, definitely, in a way I'd like to go just to witness it but in an other way I'm a wuss

It's like people from the middle ages living amongst us. Really weird, and I hope I'm alive when the people eventually rise up and overthrow the madness.

[Ramsay]

A cool documentary on just how crazy N Korea is

Youtube video

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Niazareth

My brother was in North Korea a few months ago, going there as a tourist sounds like a bizarre experience

Really? I'd like to read hi sblog that Dezzy mentioned...

One of our Councillors lived and worked in South Korea and is married to a South Korean woman. He spent some time in the North for business, and the general consesus seems to be that the place is properly ****ed up.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

Really? I'd like to read hi sblog that Dezzy mentioned...

One of our Councillors lived and worked in South Korea and is married to a South Korean woman. He spent some time in the North for business, and the general consesus seems to be that the place is properly ****ed up.

I'll PM you the link

[Nedusa]

This is actually quite serious as other prominent North Korean figures might be thinking they could be next. This could cause major ructions and splits in the ruling elite, it could even precipitate the ultimate implosion of the North Korean state..

We can but hope....!!!!

[BBfanUSA]

There was a documentary on The Harlem Globetrotters and Dennis Rodman visiting NK as some sort of way to promote basketball. They had a guy with them documenting everything.

There was a bunch of weird things. One was When they were shown a room with a bunch of North Koreans looking at computers supposedly surfing the internet (As the Globetrotters and the cameraman were told) but they were just sitting at the computer doing nothing.

[Z]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

This is actually quite serious as other prominent North Korean figures might be thinking they could be next. This could cause major ructions and splits in the ruling elite, it could even precipitate the ultimate implosion of the North Korean state..

We can but hope....!!!!

On the other hand, it could cause people to continue to shrink in fear and keep everything firmly held down and allow a third generation of the Kim family to do whatever he likes while his people suffer in poverty.

I'd also be interested in reading your brother's blog Niamh, North Korea fascinates me! I'm going to watch that documentary now Karl, thanks for sharing...

[King Gizzard]

I still don't think the regime can stand the test of time, even if they properly crack down and kill thousands, digital media is becoming more and more accessible there

[King Gizzard]

Originally Posted by BBfanUSA

There was a documentary on The Harlem Globetrotters and Dennis Rodman visiting NK as some sort of way to promote basketball. They had a guy with them documenting everything.

There was a bunch of weird things. One was When they were shown a room with a bunch of North Koreans looking at computers supposedly surfing the internet (As the Globetrotters and the cameraman were told) but they were just sitting at the computer doing nothing.

They have shopping malls where nothing is for sale, only for show, they have factorys where everything is fake and all the workers are actors, they announced they had made their own smartphone but some tech wizard got their hands on it and said it's chinese, it's really weird

[Z]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

I still don't think the regime can stand the test of time, even if they properly crack down and kill thousands, digital media is becoming more and more accessible there

I think it's the most repressed country in the world, I genuinely think the general population are too afraid or too indoctrinated to ever make a stand. I think the only reason the regime would ever topple is if North Korea finally made a major attack against South Korea, Japan or the USA and a combination of those countries (plus others) invaded and deposed the Kim family; and even then it would take a very long time to even begin to fix the damage that has been done.

Perhaps eventually the two Koreas could be reunited, with the South holding the seat of government and it plus international funding trying to bring up the standard of living in the North, a bit like when West and East Germany reunited but to a far more extreme extent.

[Ithinkiloveyoutoo]

what the hell is wrong with kim jong un mayne.

[RichardG]

The crowd in this video literally clapped and chanted for Kim Jong-un from 5:40 when he appeared in the arena to 9:30... it's so creepy and I feel so sorry for the people stuck in that country.

Youtube video

[King Gizzard]

Originally Posted by RichardG

The crowd in this video literally clapped and chanted for Kim Jong-un from 5:40 when he appeared in the arena to 9:30... it's so creepy and I feel so sorry for the people stuck in that country.

Youtube video

sounds like they've dubbed over it with a new recording of clapping/chanting to me, doesn't match their faces and seems to be on a loop

[King Gizzard]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...-uncle-2983138

don't know about the truth in this but would be a weird thing to lie about

[Samm]

What did he do

[King Gizzard]

Accused of being some sort of spy and clapping half heartedly in front of Kim Jong Un or something

[King Gizzard]

They're not the only ones reporting it now, Independant and a few others have picked it up