Several relatives of Jang Song-thaek, the powerful uncle of North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un, are handling the country's diplomatic and trade relations in the nation where the ruling elite often seek overseas posts to earn foreign cash and lead comfortable lives, defectors in Seoul said Wednesday.
Jang, a four-star general and brother-in-law of late leader Kim Jong-il, has long been considered a key official in helping Kim's son, Jong-un, consolidate power. He also serves as vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, once headed by the late Kim.
"North Korean high-ranking officials do everything they can to ensure their children work in areas handling external relations," said a North Korean defector, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "That's because it's possible to earn foreign cash and live relatively stable lives by going overseas or engaging in foreign trade."
Among Jang's relatives in senior positions are Jang Yong-chol and Jon Yong-jin, North Korea's ambassadors to Malaysia and Cuba, respectively.
Jang Yong-chol is the second son of Jang Song-thaek's eldest brother and was appointed ambassador to Malaysia in 2010 before fully completing his term as Pyongyang's top envoy to Nepal, according to a source familiar with the communist regime.
Jang Yong-chol's elder brother is known to be a middle-ranking official on a North Korean committee handling economic cooperation with foreign countries.
North Korean Ambassador to Cuba Jon Yong-jin, who was appointed to the post earlier this month, is the husband of Jang Song-thaek's elder sister and previously served as Pyongyang's top envoy to Sweden and Iceland.
The communist regime has reportedly handed out favorable jobs to children of former and current North Korean power players in an apparent move to ensure the dynastic power succession goes smoothly.
The late leader assumed power in 1994 when his father, the North's founding leader Kim Il-sung, died of heart failure at the age of 82.
(Yonhap)