Kim Jong-un reportedly ordered the execution of his uncle in 2013 after learning that he planned to take charge of the country through a coup and replace the North Korean dictator with his now-assassinated half-brother, Kim Jong-nam.
Jang Song Thaek, 67, who had been considered the second most powerful official in North Korea was killed immediately after a military trial in 2013 after being accused of trying to ‘destabilize the country’.
In August 2012, he had met with then-Chinese president Hu Jintao in Beijing to propose a plot to overthrow Kim and replace him with Kim Jong-nam, according to reports in Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review.
Kim Jong-un reportedly ordered the execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, after learning that Jang was planning a coup against him
Jang Song Thaek, 67, who had been considered the second most powerful official in North Korea was killed immediately after a military trial in 2013 after being accused of trying to ‘destabilize the country’
The alleged plot was discovered by a Chinese official who had built up connections with North Korea, including Kim Jong-un, who came into power in 2011. Pictured above, Kim Jong Un (front center) is followed by Jang Song Thaek (left) inas he salutes beside the hearse carrying the body of his late father Kim Jong Il during a funeral procession in Pyongyang
Jang had been seen as the leading supporter of Chinese-style economic reforms and an important link between Pyongyang and Beijing.
The alleged plot was discovered by a Chinese official who had built up connections with North Korea, including Kim Jong-un, who came into power in 2011.
The official, Zhou Yongkang, a former member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee, was encouraged to reveal the reported plot to Kim Jong-un, who ‘flew into a rage’ and ordered the execution of Jang, The Telegraph reported.
North Korea then accused Jang of corruption, womanizing, gambling and taking drugs, and said he’d been ‘eliminated’ from all his posts before his December 2013 execution.
In a statement Pyongyang called Jang Song Thaek a ‘traitor to the nation for all ages,’ ‘worse than a dog’ and ‘despicable human scum’ who planned a military coup.
North Korea accused Jang of corruption, womanizing, gambling and taking drugs, and said he’d been ‘eliminated’ from all his posts before his December 2013 execution
In a statement Pyongyang called Jang Song Thaek a ‘traitor to the nation for all ages,’ ‘worse than a dog’ and ‘despicable human scum’ who planned a military coup
Jang, who was married to Kim Jong Il’s sister, Kim Kyong Hui, was thought to be a mentor for Kim Jong-un in the years before his 2013 execution
In a sharp reversal of the popular image of Jang Song Thaek as a kindly uncle guiding young leader Kim Jong Un as he consolidated power, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency indicated that Jang instead saw the death of Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011 as an opportunity to challenge his nephew and win power.
It’s statement said Jang ‘had desperately worked for years to destabilise and bring down the DPRK and grab the supreme power of the party and state by employing all the most cunning and sinister means and methods’.
It’s unclear if Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in February at Kuala Lumpur airport, was personally involved in the coup.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are accused of rubbing highly toxic VX nerve agent in the face of Kim Jong-Nam as he waited to board a plane at in February.
It’s unclear if Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in February at Kuala Lumpur airport, was personally involved in the coup
Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are accused of rubbing highly toxic VX nerve agent in the face of Kim Jong-nam as he waited to board a plane at in February. Kim Jong-nam is pictured above telling authorities about the incident shortly before his death
The women, who may face the death penalty if convicted, deny carrying out the killing and say they were duped into believing they were taking part in a reality TV show.
Seoul accuses North Korea of being behind the murder of Kim Jong-Un’s estranged relative, which sparked a serious diplomatic row between Malaysia and the North. Pyongyang denies the allegation.
The assassination, which happened just as Kim was about to board a flight to Macau from the airport’s budget terminal, sent tensions soaring between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur.
Both countries expelled each other’s ambassadors and barred their citizens from leaving. Tensions eased when Malaysia agreed to return Kim’s body.
Police are still trying to trace four North Koreans suspected of having taken part in the murder plot but who are believed to have returned to their capital immediately after the killing.
The murder in Kuala Lumpur removed a potential claimant to the leadership of the reclusive nation – Kim Jong-Nam was late leader Kim Jong-Il’s first born – who was an embarrassment to Pyongyang, which has caused global alarm with its atomic weapons program.