The once-powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been executed after being purged for "acts of treachery", according to state media.
Chang Song-thaek was accused of trying to seize power, corruption, depraved behaviour and risking driving the economy into an uncontrollable catastrophe.
Chang Song-thaek, left, and Kim Jong-un. Photo: AFP / KCNA
He was dramatically removed from a Communist Party session by armed guards earlier this week. It was the biggest upheaval since Mr Kim succeeded his father two years ago, the BBC reports.
State news agency KCNA said Mr Chang had admitted at a military trial on Thursday to attempting to overthrow the state, and was executed immediately.
Mr Chang, who is thought to have mentored his nephew during the leadership transition from Kim Jong-il to his son Kim Jong-un in 2011, was "worse than a dog", the agency said.
He had admitted abusing his positions of responsibility to form a faction against the state and to harbouring his own political ambitions, it said in a lengthy and detailed report.
His fall from grace is striking for its totality and publicity. Once seen as North Korea's second most powerful man, he held senior positions in the military and party committees and regularly handled relations with China.
The worry in South Korea and elsewhere is that Mr Chang's very public humiliation signals instability at the heart of the regime, the BBC reports.
The White House said the execution is another example its extreme brutality. It said the United States is closely following developments and consulting with allies in the Asian region.
The White House said it could not independently verify the reports of Mr Chang's death, but had "no reason to doubt" them.
Chang Song-thaek had fallen out of favour before. In 2004, he was understood to have undergone "re-education" as a steel mill labourer because of suspected corruption, but made a comeback the following year.
In 2010, he was appointed vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission.
His wife Kim Kyong-Hui, who is Kim Jong-Il's sister, was promoted to four-star general in 2010. However, in the past year, she has been less visible.
