North Korea announced on Friday that Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un and one of the most senior figures in the country, had been executed after being found guilty of treason at a special military tribunal.
The official KCNA news agency said on Friday morning local time that Jang, whose ousting from power was only acknowledged this week, had acted “as the boss of a modern day factional group for a long time and thus committed such hideous crimes as attempting to overthrow the state.”
Brother-in-law to Kim Jong Il, Mr Kim’s father, Jang had been the vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission and was considered one of the two most influential members of the administration.