Kim Jong has 'executed or banished more than 100 members of his uncle's family since Christmas to rid all trace of him'

  • Children, brothers and grandchildren of Jang Song-Thaek said to be dead
  • South Korean news agency reporting 'purge of entire family'
  • Executions mean 'no traces of Kim Jong-Un's uncle will be left'

By Lizzie Parry

Published: 05:25 EST, 28 January 2014 | Updated: 08:25 EST, 28 January 2014

More than 100 members of the family of the executed uncle of Kim Jong-Un have been killed or arrested, a report claims.

A news website for North Korean defectors, Daily NK, reported that members of Jang Song-Thaek's family were rounded up by the dozen following his arrest and subsequent death in December.

Jang Song-Thaek's children, brothers and grandchildren have been condemned to death, according to media reports in South Korea.

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Executed: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, right, is said to have ordered that all relatives of his uncle Jang Song-Thaek, left, were put to death following his order to execute his uncle last month

Executed: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, right, is said to have ordered that all relatives of his uncle Jang Song-Thaek, left, were put to death following his order to execute his uncle last month

Although South Korean news agencies have published unconfirmed information from North Korea in the past, the report from Daily NK back up the claims of a 'purge' of Jang's family.

Jang, 67, was executed last month, after being accused of plotting to overthrow the communist regime.

The president of South Korea, Park Geun-Hye, has previously spoken of her fear of purges among the powerful in the North.

'North Korea is now engaged in a reign of terror while carrying out a massive purge to consolidate the power of Kim Jong-Un,' she told a cabinet meeting.

Sources told the Yonhap News Agency it is unclear exactly when the family members were killed, but they are believed to have been put to death after Jang's execution on December 12.

KIM JONG-UN'S BRUTAL RULE

Since Kim Jong-Un came to power in April 2012 he has shown himself to be a brutal tyrant, having executed or demoted a long list of people he has deemed a threat.

According to newspaper Chosun Ilbo, Ri Yong-ho, Kim Yong-chun, U Tong-chuk, and Kim Jong-gak, all part of his father Kim Jong-il's inner circle, were handpicked to groom the 31-year-old leader, but have since disappeared or been demoted.

As well as his uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, other high-ranking members of the military have been purged, including three defence ministers and three chiefs of the army's general staff.

Kim Chol, the vice minister of the army, was reportedly put to death in October 2012 by soldiers firing mortar rounds at him.

In August last year, members of a female musical group, Unhasu Orchestra — which included his ex-girlfriend — were reportedly publicly machine-gunned apparently for watching pornography and filming themselves naked.

There are said to have been between 40 to 80 public mass executions in North Korea in 2013.

'Some relatives were shot to death by pistol in front of other people if they resisted while being dragged out of their apartment homes,' a source told Yonhap.

Among those allegedly executed were Jang's sister Jang Kye-Sun, her husband and Ambassador to Cuba Jon Yong-Jin and Jang's nephew and Ambassador to Malaysia Jang Yong-Chol, as well as his two sons.

The children and grandchildren of Jang's two brothers are also said to have been killed.

One source told the news agency, which is publicly funded and has close links to the South Korean government: 'All relatives of Jang have been put to death, including even children.'

Another source said: 'The executions of Jang's relatives mean that no traces of him should be left.

'The purge of the Jang Song-thaek people is under way on an extensive scale from relatives and low-level officials.'

The family were recalled to the Pyongyang area of the country by Ministry of State Security troops in early December before being killed, sources said.

It has been reported some relatives were shot to death in front of other people if they resisted as they were dragged from their homes.

Some relatives by marriage, including the wife of the Malaysian ambassador, are said to have been spared from execution, and instead have been sent to remote villages with their families, sources have said.

 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is said to have ordered the execution of his uncle's family
Jang Song-thaek was executed in December, accused of plotting to overthrow the communist regime

Plot: Kim Jong-Un, left, gave orders for his uncle Jang, right, to be executed after he was alleged to have plotted to overthrow the communist regime. South Korean media have reported Jang's children, brothers and grandchildren have now been condemned to death by the North Korean leader

Yonhap's report has yet to be corroborated but in North Korea a culture of 'guilt by association' has prevailed for years with family members of those convicted of crimes facing severe punishment, even death, for decades.

Kim Jong-Un's former mentor Jang was accused of a number of crimes against the state.

They included plotting a coup, misappropriating resources, womanising, abusing his position of power and 'dreaming different dreams' to the regime.

North Korea stunned the world by announcing the execution of the man once seen as the dictator's political regent.

His death marks the biggest political upheaval since the 30-year-old inherited power.

The Kim dynasty has ruled the isolated country for more than six decades.

Jang is the husband of Jong-un's biological aunt, the sister of his father Kim Jong-Il.

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