North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's uncle was executed by his own country.
Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un's uncle by marriage and called the second most-powerful man in North Korea, was executed for trying to usurp his nephew's power, the country announced Friday morning.
North Korean state media KCNA said Jang's wrongdoings included "attempting to overthrow the state by all sorts of intrigues and despicable methods with a wild ambition to grab the supreme power of our party and state," Fox News reported. North Korea also alleged that Jang led a "dissolute and depraved life" full of numerous affairs with women, gambling and drugs, Fox News reported.
Jang was reportedly 67, and expert believe he was executed for either two reasons: Kim Jong Un is solidifying his place in power.
"Jang Song Thaek has been purged in a way that suggests Kim Jong Un wanted to make a point," wrote North Korea expert Ruediger Frank.
And the second, is that the execution is "the first death throes of a regime teetering on collapse," Peter Shadbolt wrote for CNN.
Once more prosperous than South Korea, North Korea's economy has drastically fallen behind its southern neighbor, Reuters reported. The United Nations said there's often not enough food to feed the country's 24 million residents.
U.S. officials will keep a watchful eye on North Korea as events unfold.
"While we cannot independently verify this development, we have no reason to doubt the official KCNA report that Jang Song Thaek has been executed," National Security Council spokesman Patrick Ventrell told Fox News. "If confirmed, this is another example of the extreme brutality of the North Korean regime. We are following developments in North Korea closely and consulting with our allies and partners in the region."
