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What's Next In North Korea After Execution?

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People watch television news showing Jang Song Thaek in court before his execution on December 12, 2013, at the rail station in Seoul on December 13, 2013. (Woohae Cho/AFP/Getty Images)
People watch television news showing Jang Song Thaek in court before his execution on December 12, 2013, at the rail station in Seoul on December 13, 2013. (Woohae Cho/AFP/Getty Images)

The execution of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's uncle brought a swift and violent end to a man long considered the country's second-most-powerful.

North Korea's state-run media on Friday announced that Jang Song Thaek had been executed, and portrayed him as a morally corrupt traitor, calling him worse than a dog.

It's a stunning reversal of the popular image of Jang as a mentor and father figure guiding young Kim Jong Un as he consolidated power.

International security expert Jim Walsh joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson to discuss the significance.

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This segment aired on December 13, 2013.

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