Monday 16 December 2013

North Korean dictator's relative is picked for top post after execution of her husband


Kim Kyong Hui has been named alongside top officials on a funeral committee for fellow senior Workers' Party official Kim Kuk Thae, who died on Friday
Kim Kyong Hui has been named alongside top officials on a funeral committee for fellow senior Workers' Party official Kim Kuk Thae, who died on Friday
The aunt of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have survived her husband's execution and retained her influence within the country.
Kim Kyong Hui, the wife of Jang Song Thaek, has been named alongside top officials on a funeral committee for fellow senior Workers' Party official Kim Kuk Thae, who died on Friday.
Her 67-year-old husband, who had been considered the second most powerful official in the country, was killed on Friday immediately after a military trial.
North Korea's official news agency said Jang had sought to 'destabilise the country' to take charge through a coup.
The Associated Press has reported Jang's wife's name has now appeared in an ad hoc state committee in a state media dispatch.
Analysts said the announcement suggested her political standing had not been immediately affected by her husband's execution and that she may have even given her nephew the green light to fire Jang - but not to have him executed.
Kim, 67, has risen through the ranks in recent years and holds a slew of top posts.
Analyst Hong Hyun-ik, of the private Sejong Institute in South Korea, told The Associated Press: 'She may have opposed Jang's death sentence, but she could have agreed on Jang being dismissed.'
Kim Kyong Hui is often credited with being the driving force behind the rise of the Supreme Leader of North Korea.

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