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Kim Kyong-hui in coma, says intelligence source Jan 09,2014 WASHINGTON - Kim Kyong-hui, aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and wife of the purged and executed Jang Song-thaek, is in a vegetative state after undergoing brain surgery, a source told the JoongAng Ilbo. An intelligence official in the United States said on condition of anonymity yesterday that Kim Kyong-hui had surgery for a brain tumor in 2013 in Paris. After the surgery, she lost a lot of weight, dropping to 35 kilograms (77 pounds), the official said. The official denied some Korean reports alleging she committed suicide and maintained...

Is Kim Jong-un's Aunt Dead? North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt and widow of executed eminence grise Jang Song-taek is believed to have died, possibly by her own hand. A government source here on Sunday said Kim Kyong-hui, who has been out of the public eye either committed suicide or died from a heart attack. The source said intelligence services here believe Kim is dead but have not been able to confirm this, though they are also trying to find out whether she went abroad for medical treatment. Another government official said, "There are many rumors going around about Kim...

Details emerging from North Korea about Kim Jong-un's surprising public purging of his uncle from a top position indicate that it was a family affair with his aunt and brother, armed with a pistol, taking part in the arrests of ranking officials. ... "What you have to understand is that the North Korean dynasty is run by an absolute blood-based hereditary mindset," pointed out Lee Yun-keol, the president of North Korea Strategic Information Service Center. The purge drama was designed by Kim Kyong-hee, Jang's wife, and Kim Jong-un, Lee said. ... The South Korean media have also been reporting that...

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told a parliamentary committee that it believed Jang Song-thaek had been removed as vice chairman of the North’s top military body, the National Defence Commission. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle, seen as his nephew’s political regent and one of the most powerful men in the country, has apparently been ousted and several associates executed, South Korea’s spy agency said on Tuesday. According to the NIS, Jang was “recently ousted from his position and two of his close confidantes – Ri Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kil – were publicly executed in mid November”, lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae...