The defector is reportedly one of the most senior figures to have deserted the secretive regime of North Korea, and claims that the aunt was poisoned one year after her husband was killed during an official purge.
Aunt disappears from the public eye
Kim Kyong-Hui made her last public appearance in North Korea in September 2013, shortly before her husband Jang Song Thaek was killed during a purge ordered by Kim. Speculation over her disappearance was rife, with some sources claiming that she had become ill, or died, following the death of her husband. Despite those reports, South Korean intelligence agencies said that she was alive in February this year.
Speaking to CNN, the North Korean defector said: “On May 5th or 6th of last year. Kim Jong-Un ordered his aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, to be killed. Only his bodyguard unit, Unit 974, knew this – now senior officials also know she was poisoned.”
Such reports were denied by a Pyongyang-based source speaking to the Daily NK website, who claimed that Kim Kyong is still alive, although she is being treated for a “nerve disorder.”
“[Following the execution of Jang Song Thaek] her pre-existing nerve disorder grew much worse, so she has received a great deal of subsequent treatment. During this process, Kim Jong-Un even personally asked the doctors to treat her well,” according to the source.
Speculation arises over purge of officials
The disappearance of Jang-Song fueled concerns that other top officials who recently have not been seen in state media could also have been victims of a purge ordered by Kim Jong-Un. It is thought that Jang disagreed with North Korea’s leader over financial matters linked to the construction of the Masikryong Ski Resort and Munsu Water Park.
However a prominent academic has thrown doubt on the veracity of the story. Remco Breuker, Professor of Korean studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told The Independent that the defector’s account may not be true. “The report comes from a defector whose family name is given but nothing else. Usually when defectors break stories – and they do and they are often reliable – you know who is saying what,” he said.
“This is the kind of thing the public likes to believe about North Korea. I talked to other analysts and they were actually very angry; they said the chances that this actually happened are very, very slim, but once it gets exposed, it’s those who have been exiled who have to pay the price,” Breuker continued.
Academic questions our perceptions of North Korea
Breuker believes that it is most likely that Kim Kyong is ill, so much so that she cannot leave her house, which begs the questions as to why Kim would would her killed. “Most people agree that she is quite ill, although we don’t know what her illness is. It’s hard to image why her own nephew would want to poison her, unless you imagine him as an evil genius, which is of course how we really like to see dictators in general,” he said.
The lack of access to North Korea means that there exists an information vacuum around the secretive nation, and Western media often runs stories based on pure speculation rather than verifiable facts. The lack of access granted to journalists makes it almost impossible to report from the ground, and stories which paint a picture of a bloodthirsty dictator sell better than those which claim that someone is ill.
Source: CNN
