Jang Song-thaek, a prominent North Korean politician, was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the only daughter of the country's founding premier Kim Il Sung and his first wife Kim Jong-suk, making him the uncle (by marriage) of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.
Although the extent of Jang's power and position is not well-documented in the West, in 2008, South Korean government officials and North Korea experts suggested that he held de facto leadership over North Korea during Kim Jong Il's declining health and subsequent death.
Jang served as a vice-chairman of the National Defense Commission (NDC),a position considered second only to that of the Supreme Leader, and was believed to have been promoted to four-star general around the time of Kim Jong Il's death in December 2011.
He was considered a key policy adviser to Kim Jong Un and held significant influence within the North Korean government.
However, in December 2013, Jang was abruptly accused of being a counter-revolutionary and was stripped of all his posts, expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK),and his image was digitally removed from official media and photos with other North Korean leaders.
On December 13, 2013, North Korean state media announced that Jang had been executed by firing squad, bringing an abrupt end to his political career.
