This undated picture shows Jang Song Thaek, who had been one of Kim Jong Un's closest lieutenants. He was executed after admitting to crimes before a military tribunal Thursday, North Korea said in a statement released by the state-run news agency.
This undated photo released June 7, 2010, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at the Taedonggang Combined Fruit Farm, with Jang at right. Kim Jong Un had not built up his own network of lieutenants when his father died in 2011. (KCNA via Reuters)
Kim Jong Un, with Jang behind him, salutes as they accompany the hearse carrying the coffin of his father. When Kim Jong Il died, many expected that Jang and others, including Kim Jong Un’s aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, would play caretaker roles. That hasn’t happened. Kim Jong Un has removed or demoted five of the seven elderly officials who walked alongside the hearse. (Kyodo via Reuters)
Kim Jong Un leads the celebrations for his father's 70th birthday, with his Jang, his uncle, next to him. North Korea's announcement of Jang's expulsion from the party didn't mention Kim Kyong Hui, Kim Jong Un's aunt. Some analysts think Jang and Kim Kyong Hui were estranged. (Kyodo via Reuters)
Jang stands fourth from the left, with Kim Jong Un second from the right, as officials pay respects Kim Jong Il as he lies in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang in a photo released Dec. 26, 2011. When Kim Jong Un became the leader of North Korea in 2011, many advisers were two or nearly three times his age. (KCNA via Reuters)
Chinese President Hu Jintao, right, shakes hands with Jang in Beijing. Jang was deeply involved in programs that earned foreign currency for the government and oversaw a special economic zone in the port city of Rason, aimed at attracting investment from Russia and China. (China Daily Information Corp. via Reuters)
Jang, pointing, and Kim, behind military members, attend a commemoration event at the Cemetery of Fallen Fighters of the Korean People’s Army in Pyongyang. Jang’s execution raised concerns that Kim can act rashly; Kim family members had been safe from execution for decades. (Jason Lee / Reuters)
Kim salutes as he and Jang attend the commemoration event ahead of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. A statement from the government accused Jang of trying to build influence with the military, “with a foolish calculation that he would succeed in staging a coup if he mobilized the army.” (Jason Lee / Reuters)
Kim Jong Un looks at Jang during a parade to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of a truce with South Korea. Jang was also accused of distributing pornography, masterminding a disastrous 2009 currency revaluation and selling off resources to China at bargain rates. (Jason Lee / Reuters)
From left, Jang, Choe Ryong Hae, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, and Kim attend the opening ceremony of Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang. The execution of Jang could keep North Koreans in lock-step with their leader’s wishes — or raise the incentive for top lieutenants to fight back. (Jason Lee / Reuters)
A TV in a Seoul rail station shows a report on the dismissal of Jang Song Thaek. The purge of Jang was highly public, splashed on the front page of the official newspaper and on North Korean state TV. (Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters)
In this undated photo released by KCNA on Dec. 9, Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party politburo in Pyongyang. South Korea's spy agency had reported the previous week than Jang might have been dismissed.
Kimg Jong Un at the meeting of the ruling Workers' Party politburo in Pyongyang. Jang was relieved of all posts and expelled from the party after a meeting of top officials. (KCNA / Reuters)
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