Five of the
seven men who stood alongside Kim Yong-Un at his father's funeral less
than four years ago have either disappeared, been brutally executed or
banished.
Jang Song-thaek, Kim Ki Nam, Choe Tae-bok, Ri Yong-Ho, Kim Yong-chun, Kim Jong-gak and U Dong-chuk,
who made up North Korea's political and military elite - were
pallbearers at the state funeral of Kim Jong-il in December 2011.
The
dictator's uncle, Jang, was allegedly executed by firing squad, Ri is
presumed dead, one has disappeared and two have been banished.
Only Kim Ki Nam, the regime's propaganda chief, and Choe Tae-bok, the chairman of its People's Assembly, remains at Kim's side.
Kim Jong-un (centre) marches at the head of the hearse carrying his
father Kim Jong-il's coffin in Pyongyang on December 29, 2011
Those who stood by the hearse, from one to eight, Kim Jong-un, Jang Song-Thaek, Kim Ki-nam, Choe Tae-bok, Ri Yong-ho, Kim Yong-chun, Kim Jong-gak and U Dong-chuk
The increasingly random and vicious means by which North Korea's leader attempts to shore-up
his position have again been ruthlessly demonstrated by the reported
latest execution of a top official, this time the country's defence
minister.
Hyon
Yong-Choi, 66, who was named head of North Korea's military in 2012,
was butchered by an anti-aircraft gun in front of hundreds of
bloodthirsty officials in a military camp in the capital on April 30.
His alleged crimes? It's believed he fell asleep during formal military events and spoke back to his all-powerful leader.
Just
as Hyon was dealt with the moment Kim felt the need to make an example
of him, the key figures at his father's funeral were expendable,
according to a renowned North Korea expert.
Michael Madden, founder of the North Korea Leadership Watch blog, told MailOnline: 'Those guys were an amount of window dressing for Kim Jong-Un.
'They
were there at the funeral so they could be seen to be regarding him as
highly as they did his father. The group were around to make sure the
elites respected the transition of power
'It was like learning to ride a bike for Kim - now he's consolidated enough power he doesn't need that training.'
Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song Thaek, with his hands tightly bound, is
shown being dragged into a military court shortly before his execution
for treason
In
December 2013 Jang Song-Thaek, 67, Kim's uncle by marriage, was
executed by firing squad after a much publicised military trial.
Once the second most powerful official in the country and a mentor to his nephew, he was humiliated in court and executed.
His
death was originally reported by a Chinese satirical newspaper to have
occurred after he was stripped naked with five close aides, and thrown
into a cage of 100 ravenous dogs.
In
fact, he was shot — but such is the barbarity of North Korea's regime
that the paper's version of events was initially taken at face value.
North Korea's official news agency said Jang had sought to 'destabilise the country' and take charge through a coup.
Jang stood behind Kim at his father's funeral procession and was considered a mentor to his nephew as he prepared to take power
In a statement Pyongyang called him a 'traitor to the nation for all ages', 'worse than a dog' and 'despicable human scum'.
It was a far cry from the popular image of Jang as a kindly uncle guiding young leader Kim Jong-Un as he consolidated power.
North
Korea's official Korean Central News Agency indicated that Jang instead
saw the death of Kim's father as an opportunity to challenge his nephew
and win power.
He was also accused of corruption, womanizing, gambling and taking drugs, when he was 'eliminated' from all his posts.
By
April last year, 11 officials purportedly loyal to Jang Song Thaek had
been killed, including Kim Chol, a vice minister in the army, who was
forced to walk onto a firing range which had been targeted for a mortar
round, and ‘obliterated’.
The army chief whose arrest led to a fatal firefight
Dozens of
North Korean soldiers were reportedly killed in a fierce gun battle
following the removal from office of army chief Ri Yong-Ho in July 2012.
He
was relieved of his duties not much more than six months after Kim
Jong-il's funeral, prompting an apparent firefight between government
soldiers and personal guards loyal to him.
A
South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, said it had been told by
government officials in Seoul that the violence erupted when
vice-marshal Choe Ryong Hae, director of the People's Army General
Political Bureau, tried to detain Ri.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (right), pictured with Korean People's
Army senior officers including vice marshal and the military's general
staff chief Ri Yong-Ho (left) in 2012
The officials said the vice marshal had been carrying out Kim Jong-Un's orders to sack him for reasons unknown.
One report said as many as 36 soldiers – for and against Mr Ri – died in the following melee.
It has not been established whether Mr Ri was injured or killed in the gun battle. He has not been seen in public since.
One
source was quoted as saying that 'we cannot rule out the possibility
that Ri was badly injured or even died during the firefight when his
guards possibly tried to protect him.'
Exactly
why Mr Ri was removed from the high office remains unclear, though the
North Korean regime insisted that he had been allowed to step down due
to illness
In
South Korea, analysts said they had no doubt that Ri had been sacked
and might even have had to be physically removed from office.
No comments:
Post a Comment