North Korean Leader’s Aunt Appears Unscathed
Source: NY TIMES
SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Kyong-hui, an aunt of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, appears to have survived the purge and execution of her husband, Jang Song-thaek, as her name re-emerged on a leadership list in the North’s state-run news media over the weekend.
The Korean Central News Agency on Saturday included Ms. Kim’s name in the roster of top officials appointed to a national committee in charge of organizing a state funeral for Kim Kuk-tae, a former party secretary who died on Friday at 89.
In North Korea, whether an official’s name is included on such a list is an important gauge of whether the official is favored by the government. Ms. Kim was placed sixth on the list, which included most of the top party and military figures. The list also included Vice Premier Ro Du-chol, one of the people said to have been close to Mr. Jang, discrediting recent news reports in South Korea that Mr. Ro might be one of the senior North Koreans said to be fleeing a widening political purge after Mr. Jang’s downfall.
Mr. Jang, 67, long considered to be the North’s No. 2 man and Kim Jong-un’s mentor, was executed on Thursday, the North announced, for plotting to overthrow Mr. Kim’s government. North Korea also indicated that it was purging those close to Mr. Jang, who was accused of building a network of followers in the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, the government and the Korean People’s Army.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/16/world/asia/kim-jong-uns-aunt-appears-to-survive-husbands-purge.html?ref=asia&_r=0
