The North Korean Dictator Kim Jung Un has executed his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who was formerly the country's de facto No. 2 official.
Earlier this week Kim Jong Un purged his uncle as an adviser and had him literally dragged out of a political meeting by military police (pictured below). Now days later, the nation announced that he has been tried, convicted and executed for treason.
"The accused is a traitor to the nation for all ages who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state and the socialist system," an official statement from North Korea says.
The statement continues, saying: "The special military tribunal of the Ministry of State Security of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] confirmed that the state subversion attempted by the accused Jang with an aim to overthrow the people's power of the DPRK by ideologically aligning himself with enemies is a crime punishable by Article 60 of the DPRK Criminal Code, vehemently condemned him as a wicked political careerist, trickster and traitor for all ages in the name of the revolution and the people and ruled that he would be sentenced to death according to it."
"The decision was immediately executed," it concluded.
It is not clear whether the citizens of that country are relieved or alarmed by this report.
Joining The Takeaway to explain what this decision means is Sokeel Park, Director of Research for Liberty in North Korea, an NGO working with refugees from North Korea.
The Orwellian rhetoric of the #DPRK - Jang Song-thaek becomes an "unperson" for "dreaming a different dream"... pic.twitter.com/5CcJumWXjr
— donald (@angryknob) December 10, 2013