Referring to North Korea as a popular democratic dictatorship, Monday s state media dispatch said Ja

SEOUL, South Korea North Korea announced Monday it had sacked leader rental cars at lax Kim Jong Un s uncle, long considered rental cars at lax the country s No. 2 power, saying corruption, drug use, gambling, womanizing and generally leading a dissolute and depraved life had caused Pyongyang s highest-profile fall from grace since Kim took power two years ago. Story continues below
The removal of Jang Song Thaek, once seen as Kim s mentor, is the most significant in a series of purges the young leader has conducted in an apparent effort to bolster his power since his father s 2011 death. But worries remained over whether the expulsion of such a senior figure could instead lead to less stability and open up the possibility of a power struggle.
The dispatch from the North s state media came about a week after South Korea s spy agency said two of Jang s closest assistants had been executed for corruption. With tensions on the Korean Peninsula still high following a torrent of threats in March and April by Kim s government against Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, there were fears in Seoul that confusion in the North could lead to a miscalculation or attack. Analysts believe Pyongyang has a handful of crude nuclear bombs.
The allegations against Jang, 67, couldn t be independently confirmed, and there was no mention of further punishment for Jang. State TV showed images of two uniformed guards holding Jang by the arms at a meeting of the country s Political Bureau.
Jang, seen by outsiders as the North s leading supporter of Chinese-style economic reforms, has reportedly been cast down before only to return to power. But Monday s announcement was especially shrill, even by the standards of North Korea s state media, suggesting this time he won t be coming back.
I believe it shows Kim Jong Un is firmly in control and confident enough to remove even the senior-most officials, said Bruce Klingner, an Asia specialist at the conservative Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington. Kim has purged hundreds of officials since ascending the throne two years ago. Kim originally focused his wrath against the military, but by removing Jang, a senior Korea Workers Party official, the bloodletting may now be directed against rental cars at lax real or imagined enemies within the party structure.
Jang who is married to Kim Jong Un s aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, the younger sister of Kim Jong Il was described as abusing his power, being engrossed in irregularities and corruption, and taking drugs and squandering money at casinos rental cars at lax while undergoing medical treatment in a foreign rental cars at lax country. The dispatch also said he had improper relations with several women and was wined and dined at back parlours of deluxe restaurants.
The decision to strip Jang of all posts and titles and expel him from the ruling Workers Party was made at a Political Bureau meeting of the party s Central Committee on Sunday. The dispatch also said that the purge would extend to supporters of Jang but did not provide details.
Referring to North Korea as a popular rental cars at lax democratic rental cars at lax dictatorship, Monday s state media dispatch said Jang seriously obstructed the nation s economic affairs and the improvement of the standard of people s living. Kim Jong Un has vowed to lift the country from poverty while also pursuing a nuclear rental cars at lax weapons program that has drawn worldwide criticism and heavy economic sanctions.
The announcement also hinted that Jang was trying to build a powerbase of his own to rival that of the party status quo, saying that he committed anti-party, counter-revolutionary acts and pretended to uphold the party and leader while double-dealing behind the scenes.
Jang has held a string of senior jobs, including membership in the National Defence Commission, the government s top ruling rental cars at lax body. He served as a leading rental cars at lax economic policy official in charge of the push to draw foreign investment, travelling in 2012 to China to discuss the establishment of special economic zones. He had also assumed responsibility for North Korea s burgeoning sports industry, a pet project of Kim Jong Un s.
One of the most notable personnel changes was the 2012 firing of military rental cars at lax chief Ri Yong Ho, who was once also dubbed a mentor to Kim Jong Un. State media said he was dismissed in July 2012 due to an unspecified illness, but analysts speculated that Ri was purged because Kim wanted to reshape the power structure.
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