THE execution last week of Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, shocked the international community.
Yesterday, in the wake of Jang's ruthless disposal, there were reports that North Korean business people are being recalled from China, giving rise to speculation that a much wider political purge is under way in the secretive communist state.
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, North Korea has summoned back business people working out of the north-eastern Chinese cities of Shenyang and Dandong.
One source told the agency the Pyongyang government planned to bring all North Korean officials and staff home from China in stages. Those in China are there to enhance bilateral trade and investment.
The latest moves appear to be a crackdown on those perceived as loyal to Jang, the Yonhap agency said. It could also be a sign, say political analysts, that Jang's downfall reflected discomfort within Kim Jong-un's inner cadre over his uncle's enthusiasm for Chinese-style economic reform being implemented in North Korea.
According to South Korean intelligence officials, two of Jang's closest aides were executed last month, and analysts suggest the purging of such a high-profile figure is unlikely to take place without a "ripple effect" - a purge of others linked to them.
Yesterday, Kim was pictured in photographs released by North Korean state media for the first time since the dramatic execution of Jang on Thursday.
The young leader was shown touring a military design institute, trailed by military officers, many taking notes. Among them was Kim's personal envoy, Vice-Marshal Choe Ryong-hae. As with many of the stage managed political events inside North Korea, analysts say the pictures appeared designed to demonstrate Kim's continuing hold on power and "business as usual" for the North Korean leadership.
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