Jang Song Thaek

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Kim Executed Uncle Because of Grudge Over His Mom: Book

More family secrets in defector's memoir, including a Clapton concert attended by Kim's brother

(Newser) - Long-held grudges, executions, an Eric Clapton concert—it's all there in a new 542-page memoir by a man the Wall Street Journal calls "North Korea's most high-profile defector in two decades." The New York Times reports on Thae Yong Ho's Cryptography From the Third-Floor Secretariat,...

Kim Jong Un's Bloody Tenure: 70 Executions

South Korean minister discusses dictator's 'reign of terror'

(Newser) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed 70 officials since taking power in late 2011 in a "reign of terror" that far exceeds the bloodshed of his dictator father's early rule, South Korean officials said today. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, at a forum in Seoul,...

North Korea 'Executes Official With Flamethrower'

Horrific death came amid round of purges, source claims

(Newser) - Has Pyongyang started incinerating enemies of the state? At least 11 high-ranking officials in North Korea have been imprisoned or executed as part of another round of purges following the execution of Kim Jong Un's uncle , including a security chief who was burned alive with a flamethrower, according to...

North Korea Holds So-Called 'Elections'

Rubber-stamp process gives Kim Jong-Un a chance to reorganize

(Newser) - It's election time in North Korea, meaning there's only one candidate running per office in the Supreme People's Assembly, and voters have two options: writing "Yes" or "No" on the ballots, the BBC reports. Not only that, voters who don't support the ruling Workers'...

North Korea to Execute 33 Who Talked to Missionary
North Korea to Execute 33 Who Talked to Missionary
new report
Mar 5, 2014 8:51 AM CST

North Korea to Execute 33 Who Talked to Missionary

According to reports, those who converted will be put to death

(Newser) - More reported brutality in North Korea: A source tells the Chosun Ilbo that 33 North Koreans will be executed because they were connected to a South Korean missionary who was arrested in the North last year. Kim Jung Wook made his first public appearance since his arrest on Thursday, admitting...

North Korea: Here's How Kim's Uncle Really Died

He was shot to death, North Korea's ambassador to UK says

(Newser) - Did Kim Jong Un really feed his uncle alive to 120 starved dogs? In North Korea's version of the story, nope. "He was shot to death," the country's ambassador to the UK, Hyun Hak Bong, tells Sky News in what may be the first English-language interview...

Kim Eradicated Uncle's Whole Family: Report

Brothers' children, grandchildren executed: South Korean news

(Newser) - Following the execution of Kim Jong Un's uncle , Jang Song Thaek , reports claimed that hundreds of Jang's relatives had been arrested . Now, a source tells South Korea's Yonhap News Agency , "all relatives of Jang have been put to death, including even children." Among them are...

At Root of Dogs-Ate-Uncle Claim: Joking Tweet?

Satirist was likely source of Kim Jong Un rumors, blogger argues

(Newser) - Amid the debate over whether Kim Jong Un truly did feed his uncle to starving dogs comes this tidbit: a tweet penned by a satirist may be the "source" of the story. Reuters reports this chain of events: On Dec. 11, a post making such a claim appeared...

Did North Korea's Kim Really Sic Dogs on His Uncle?

Pundits weigh in on why we should, or shouldn't, give the story credence

(Newser) - Yesterday's story that Kim Jong Un executed his uncle with a pack of starving dogs is amazing even by North Korea standards. But is it true? The consensus out there seems to be probably not—although there's a definite sentiment that the regime is so crazy it would...

Claim: Kim Fed Uncle Alive to 120 Starved Dogs

Account, first published by Hong Kong paper, hasn't been verified

(Newser) - What's a fitting way to execute a man labeled "worse than a dog" ? If an unconfirmed newspaper report is to be believed, by stripping him naked, throwing him in a cage, and feeding him alive to 120 hungry hounds. NBC News picks up Hong Kong-based paper Wen ...

Kim: Killing My Uncle Made Country Stronger

Country purged of 'factional filth,' he says

(Newser) - Happy new year, Pyongyang style: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hailed the execution of his uncle in his annual New Year message, saying moves to "eliminate factionalist filth" in the ruling party had boosted the country's unity a hundredfold, reports the BBC . The message was his first...

Before Kim Killed His Uncle, There Was a Firefight

Picture of what led to Jang Song Thaek's execution coming together

(Newser) - Yesterday it was reported that Jang Song Thaek met his end not because of a planned coup, but because of a business disagreement. The New York Times reported by way of South Korea's head of intelligence that Jang and his associates were unwilling to give up control of major...

Kim Jong Un 'Very Drunk' Ordering Executions

North Korea purge 'wasn't about coup'

(Newser) - North Korea's leader was "very drunk" when he recently ordered two aides close to his uncle to be executed, reports the Independent via the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. Kim Jong Un was apparently upset when the two men questioned his demand that a business be handed over to...

Hundreds Related to Kim's Uncle Arrested
 Hundreds Related to 
 Kim's Uncle Arrested 
Local report
Dec 23, 2013 11:22 AM CST

Hundreds Related to Kim's Uncle Arrested

South Korean official doubts 'power struggle' led to execution

(Newser) - Authorities have rounded up hundreds of relatives of Kim Jong Un's recently executed uncle and ferried them to prison camps, according to a report out of Seoul. The night after Jang Song Thaek was executed, "armed men from the Ministry of State Security arrived unannounced in the Pyongchon...

Business as Usual? N. Korea Marks Kim Death Anniversary

Elder Kim celebrated as purges loom

(Newser) - North Korea has marked the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il with vows to unite behind his son, Kim Jong Un, and a series of events to show the world that the regime has returned to business as usual despite the execution last week of Kim's...

Kerry: Kim Jong Un 'Reckless' Like Saddam
 Kerry: Kim Jong Un 
 'Reckless' Like Saddam 
SUNDAY TALK SHOWS
Dec 15, 2013 9:07 AM CST

Kerry: Kim Jong Un 'Reckless' Like Saddam

Secretary says recent purging reminiscent of Iraqi dictator

(Newser) - John Kerry looks at Kim Jong Un's execution of his uncle and sees shades of another infamous dictator using bloody ruthlessness to secure his grip on power: Saddam Hussein. "You saw the pictures of his uncle being arrested in front of everybody at this meeting," Kerry said...

Kim Jong Un's Aunt Safe for Now

Reports indicate she's been appointed to committee

(Newser) - Rumors of her impending demise may have been at least premature, because the AP reports that Kim Jong Un's aunt—and estranged wife of recently executed uncle Jang Song Thaek—has been named to an ad-hoc state committee in a seeming indication that both her influence and her...

Purges Likely in North Korea

 Purges Likely in North Korea 
Analysis
Dec 13, 2013 3:54 PM CST

Purges Likely in North Korea

Experts predict Kim will move to consolidate power

(Newser) - The surprise execution of Kim Jong-un's powerful uncle, Jang Song Thaek, might signal a lot of coming bloodshed in North Korea, experts tell the New York Times . Jang's supposed treason confession is startling because North Korea rarely acknowledges internal conflict, analysts say. South Korean officials think it's...

North Korea's Kim Executes His Uncle

Jang Song Thaek accused of being a traitor

(Newser) - Less than a week after reports emerged that Kim Jong Un had staged a major power play by ousting his powerful uncle from government, North Korea has announced that the uncle has been executed, reports the BBC . The state news agency says Jang Song Thaek was sentenced to death by...

N. Korea: Kim Uncle Purged for 'Depraved Lifestyle'

Top aide believed to have fled south

(Newser) - Pyongyang has today confirmed that Kim Jong Un's uncle has been fired and it sounds like Jang Song Thaek was a pretty busy guy during his years as North Korea's second most powerful official. According to Pyongyang's statement, Jang led a "dissolute and depraved" lifestyle, using...

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