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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's uncle has apparently been purged and two associates executed.
The move is seen as the most significant ousting since Kim Jong took the helm in North Korea.
South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), told a parliamentary committee that it believed Jang Song-Thaek, who was seen as the hardline regime's political regent, had been removed from all posts, including vice chairman of the communist country's top military body, the National Defence Commission.
According to news.com.au, the NIS briefing revealed that 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 said.
Jung said that North Korean military personnel had been notified of the executions, adding that Jang, 67, had since 'disappeared'.
Several analysts suggested Jang may have lost out in a power struggle with Choe Ryong-Hae, a close Kim Jong-Un confidant who holds the military rank of vice marshal and is director of the Korean People's Army's General Political Department, the report added.
