SEOUL: The aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un appears unscathed after the shock execution of her powerful husband Jang Song-Thaek, despite strong speculation that those close to Jang could be purged.
Kim Kyong-Hui, sister of Kim’s father and the country’s late leader Kim Jong-Il, was named as a member of the state funeral committee for a senior ruling party official who died on Friday, the official KCNA news agency said late on Saturday.
Her name was listed alongside a large group of top party and military officials including defence chief Jang Jong-Nam and Choe Ryong-Hae, a close confidant of the leader and director of the military’s political bureau.
News of Kim Kyong-Hui attending an official function indicates that she remains in favour with her nephew, who has been consolidating his grip on power since his father’s death two years ago.
Jang Song-Thaek, once seen as the political regent of the young Kim, was executed on Thursday for corruption and plotting to overthrow the state, among other charges.
His execution — carried out just days after he was ousted from all his party and military positions — marks the biggest political upheaval since the young Kim inherited power after the death of his father in December 2011.
Kim Kyong-Hui, 67, has been less visible in the past year, with reports saying she was seriously ill and had sought hospital treatment in Singapore.
Analysts say Kim Kyong-Hui — one of a handful of people with blood ties to the ruling Kim dynasty — will likely escape any harsh treatment.
“The whole legitimacy of Kim Jong-Un’s leadership is based on blood ties,” said Lee Seung-Yeol, analyst at Seoul’s Ewha Institute of Unification Studies.
Kim Kyong-Hui had played a role “that backs up the legitimacy of the dynasty”, Lee said.
The political standing of leader Kim would be tarnished if his aunt were targeted, said Kim Kwang-Jin, analyst at the South’s Institute for National Security Strategy.
“He (Kim Jong-Un) knows if Kim Kyong-Hui is purged, it would also backfire on him in the end,” he said.
Jang and Kim Kyong-Hui had reportedly been separated for years. She may have been forced to divorce him in a bid to distance herself from the purges that will ensue, said Hong Hyun-Ik, of Seoul’s Sejong Institute think tank.
AFP
