Jang Sung-taek (alternatively Chang Sŏng-t'aek, Jang Song-thaek, or Chang Sung-taek; 2 February 1946 – 12 December 2013) was a leading figure in the government of North Korea. He was married to
Kim Kyong-hui, aunt of Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea. 
Although the precise extent of Jang Sung-taek's power and position cannot be confirmed, in 008 South Korean government officials and academic North Korea specialists suggested that he may have taken on de facto leadership over North Korea due to Kim Jong-il's ailing health, and later death. Jang was vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, a position considered second only to that of the Supreme Leader. It is believed he was promoted to four-star general around the time of Kim Jong-il's death as his first appearance in uniform was while visiting Kim lying in state. Jang was termed as Kim Jong-un's "key policy adviser".
In January 2013, speculation arose that Jang had been quietly promoted to top decision-making Politburo Presidium member, as his official hierarchy position was elevated, displacing then-Chief of General Staff Hyon Yong-chol and his own wife Kim Kyong-hui. Scholars argued that Jang may be appointed president of the Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium (nominal head of state) or premier, replacing then office-holders who were in their 80s. Jang Sung-taek promoted the construction of a new bridge over the Yalu River between the Chinese city of Dandong and the Korean city of Sinuiju. The bridge is nearly completed
Dismissal, Arrest and Execution
Jang Sung-taek was publicly expelled from the WPK on 8 December 2013. Prior to his dismissal his appearances had been obscured or edited out from an October news report that was re-aired on 7 December on North Korean television. South Korean intelligence first reported on 3 December that Jang had been removed from his post. He had not been seen in public since two associates of his — Lee Yong-ha and Hang Soo-kee — were believed to have been executed in November. Lee was reportedly accused of abusing his authority, while Jang Soo-kee was found guilty of trying to organize a new faction and rejecting the system.
When North Korea announced on 8 December that Jang Sung-taek had been expelled it was attributed to a decision of the Politburo. He was accused of having committed "anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts", including illicit affairs with women, harboring "politically-motivated ambition", weakening "the party's guidance over judicial, prosecution and people's security bodies", and obstructing "the nation's economic affairs".
Jang's arrest at the Politburo meeting was broadcast on state television, in what has been described as "the most public dismissal of a member of the Kim family and their associates in history." This is also the first time since the 1970s that a senior political figure has been publicly arrested in a party meeting live on television.
Chinese media suggested that Jang Sung-taek's fall reflected a rejection of his efforts to prioritize economic development, and a victory for North Korean advocates of a military-first policy.
On 12 December 2013, state media announced he had been executed, claiming that the "despicable human scum Jang, who was worse than a dog, perpetrated thrice-cursed acts of treachery in betrayal of such profound trust and warmest paternal love shown by the party and the leader for him." The 2700-word statement detailing the accusations also included other charges such as placing a granite monument carved with the supreme leader's words "in a shaded corner", "let[ting] the decadent capitalist lifestyle find its way to our society by distributing all sorts of pornographic pictures among his confidants" and "half-heartedly clapping
, touching off towering resentment of our service personnel and people" when one of Kim Jong-un's promotions was announced. South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States expressed concern and bewilderment amid questions of instability in the country.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jang_Sung-taek
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