Kim Jong Un Defends Executing Uncle As Getting Rid Of ‘Factionalist Filth’
The head of North Korea says getting rid of “factionalist filth” has strengthened his nation.
Kim’s comments in an annual New Year’s Day message, which included a call for improved ties with Seoul, will be scrutinized by outside analysts and governments for clues about the opaque country’s intentions and policy goals. There’s widespread worry about the country’s future since Kim publicly humiliated and then executed his uncle and mentor, one of the biggest political developments in Pyongyang in years, and certainly since Kim took power two years ago after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.
North Korea’s “resolute” action to “eliminate factionalist filth” within the ruling Workers’ Party has bolstered the country’s unity “by 100 times,” Kim said in a speech broadcast by state TV. He didn’t mention by name his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, long considered the country’s No. 2 power.
