Kim Jong Un’s Uncle Was ‘Despicable Human Scum,’ Says Pyongyang’s Propaganda Machine

State news wire says the executed Jang Song Thaek was "a traitor to the nation for all ages"

  • Share
  • Read Later
Kyodo / Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, flanked by his uncle, North Korean politician Jang Song Thaek, leaves a military parade on Feb. 16, 2012

Kim Jong Un’s uncle Jang Song Thaek has been executed, according to KCNA, the state news wire. In a excoriating and overwrought dispatch, the party mouthpiece called Jang “despicable human scum” and a traitor “for all ages.” Party purges are typically closed-door affairs in North Korea, which makes the dispatch’s tone and detail all the more surprising. Here are some highlights — or lowlights, as it were:

On Jang’s “trial”:

Upon hearing the report on the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the service personnel and people throughout the country broke into angry shouts that a stern judgment of the revolution should be meted out to the anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional elements.

On the “verdict”:

Every sentence of the decision served as sledge-hammer blow brought down by our angry service personnel and people on the head of Jang, an anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional element and despicable political careerist and trickster.

On Jang’s alleged crimes:

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.

And his betrayal of Kim Jong Un:

It is an elementary obligation of a human being to repay trust with sense of obligation and benevolence with loyalty. However, despicable human scum Jang, who was worse than a dog, perpetrated thrice-cursed acts of treachery in betrayal of such profound trust and warmest paternal love shown by the party and the leader for him.

More on betrayal:

From long ago, Jang had a dirty political ambition. He dared not raise his head when Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were alive. But, reading their faces, Jang had an axe to grind and involved himself in double-dealing. He began revealing his true colors, thinking that it was just the time for him to realize his wild ambition in the period of historic turn when the generation of the revolution was replaced.

Jang committed such an unpardonable thrice-cursed treason as overtly and covertly standing in the way of settling the issue of succession to the leadership with an axe to grind when a very important issue was under discussion to hold respected Kim Jong Un in high esteem as the only successor to Kim Jong Il in reflection of the unanimous desire and will of the entire party and army and all people.

And something about “cat’s paws”:

Jang did serious harm to the youth movement in our country, being part of the group of renegades and traitors in the field of youth work bribed by enemies. Even after they were disclosed and purged by the resolute measure of the party, he patronized those cat’s paws and let them hold important posts of the party and state.

It remains to be seen if Jang’s vast network of allies, friends and relatives will meet the same fate.