The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have dismissed an uncle, a man key to his rise to power, South Korean politicians said, in a move that could help consolidate his power base with a group of younger aides.

Jang Song-thaek was probably sacked as vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission and as a department head of the ruling Workers’ Party, an MP Jung Cheong-rae said, citing a senior South Korean official in its National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The move is likely to tip the balance in favour of the top political operative for the army, Choe Ryong-hae, which could mean a symbolic victory for the 1.2 million-strong military.

Two members of the South Korean parliament’s Intelligence Committee told separate news briefings that the NIS had confirmed the public execution of two close aides to Mr Jang on grounds of corruption.

Source: The Independent, December 4, 2013