Kim’s uncle removed from TV documentary
Print Edition
Images of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle have been removed from an official state TV documentary, a disappearing act that appears to lend credence to Seoul’s claim that Pyongyang’s second most powerful official may have been purged by his nephew.
South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers last week that it believes Jang Song Thaek was likely sacked after the executions last month of two close associates, allegedly over corruption.
The National Intelligence Service hasn’t explained how it obtained the information, and skepticism followed the claim because of past intelligence failures in Seoul regarding the inner workings of North Korea’s government.
On Saturday, North Korea’s state TV repeated a documentary on Kim Jong Un’s military inspection trips. Although Jang appeared throughout the version that aired on October 28, images of him had vanished from the new version.
In one scene in the original version, Jang can be seen wearing a winter parka and standing behind Kim Jong Un as the leader shakes hands with a soldier. But Jang cannot be seen in Saturday’s version, which has the same title and narration. Elsewhere in the older version, he is seen clapping his hands from a distance as an officer speaks to Kim. But the new version only shows what appear to be parts of Jang’s right arm, chest and abdomen.
Pyongyang has said nothing about Jang’s fate or the new version of the documentary. Jang was last seen in state media about a month ago.
Jang — who is married to Kim Jong Un’s aunt Kim Kyong Hui, the younger sister of Kim Jong Il — has held a string of top jobs, including in the National Defense Commission, the government’s top ruling body. He was considered a major influence on the young leader as he consolidated power after Kim Jong Il’s December 2011 death. Jang has reportedly been purged several times previously, only to return to power.
In another development that Seoul’s spy agency is linking to Jang’s likely sacking, two people related to Jang who were serving abroad as diplomats have been recalled to North Korea, according to South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by intelligence officials.
An official at South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which is responsible for North Korea matters and closely studies the country’s propaganda, said that 17 scenes showing Jang had been removed from the original documentary.
Jang’s position will likely be better understood, analysts say, if he appears at state-organized events on December 17 to mark the second anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death.
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