South Korean Lawmaker: Hard-Line Military Faction Behind Execution of Kim Jong Un Uncle

North Korean intrigue

A lawmaker said Friday that a hard-line military faction led by Choe Ryong-hae, a vice marshal of the North Korean People's Army, was behind last week's execution of Jang Song-thaek, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle and the country's former No. 2 man.

He also insisted that Kim Jong-un is merely a symbolic figure in the reclusive country and that Choe holds ultimate power.