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South Korea's Unification Ministry said Monday that Seoul was more closely monitoring the situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after news that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un ousted his uncle-in-law Jang Song- thaek.
Ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do told a routine press briefing that Jang's purge was formally confirmed through the DPRK's official news agency, noting that Seoul was closely monitoring situations in the DPRK's inner circle and external relations, with several possibilities in mind.
The DPRK's official news agency KCNA reported early Monday that Jang was removed from all posts and expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) for his "anti-Party and counterrevolutionary crime."
The KCNA news came after the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee held an enlarged meeting Sunday.
Jang, who was married to DPRK leader Kim's biological aunt, was vice chairman of the National Defense Commission and secretary of the WPK administration department.
Last Tuesday, South Korea's spy agency claimed the ouster of Jang, saying that Jang had not been seen after two of his close aides were executed in late November.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said last Wednesday that some work has been under way within the DPRK to rearrange power structure, saying that Pyongyang was strengthening its military capabilities across the nation under these circumstances.
