Jang Song-thaek

Jang Songthaek was a North Korean politician He was married to Kim Kyonghui the only daughter of North Korean premier Kim Il Sung and his first wife Kim Jongsuk and only sister of North Korean general secretary Kim Jong Il He was therefore the uncle by marriage of the current leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un The extent of Jang Songthaeks power and position has not been confirmed in the West However in 2008 South Korean government officials and academic North Korea experts suggested that he had de facto leadership over North Korea while Kim Jong Ils health was declining and when Kim subsequently died Jang was a vicechairman of the National Defense Commission NDC a position considered second only to that of the Supreme Leader He is believed to have been promoted to fourstar general around the time of Kim Jong Ils death in December 2011 as his first appearance in uniform was while visiting Kim lying in state Jang was considered a key policy adviser to Kim Jong Un In December 2013 Jang was abruptly accused of being a counterrevolutionary and was stripped of all his posts and expelled from the Workers Party of Korea WPK His photos were removed from official media and his image digitally removed from photos with other North Korean leaders On December 13 2013 North Korean state media announced he had been executed by firing squad The above was taken from Wikipedia on November 28 2023