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              US, S. Korea React Cautiously to N. Korea Execution

   by VOA News

   South Korea has held an emergency national security meeting following
   news that North Korea has executed the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, who
   until recently was seen as one of Kim's chief advisers.
   Seoul says it is watching the events with concern and will work closely
   on the issue with allies and related governments.
   The North's official news agency says Jang Song Thaek was put to death
   Thursday after facing a special military tribunal.
   The U.S. State Department says it cannot immediately verify Jang's
   execution. But spokeswoman Marie Harf said U.S. officials have no
   reason to doubt it. If confirmed, Harf said the execution will serve as
   another example of the "extreme brutality" of the North Korean regime.
   Mitchell Reiss, President of Washington College and Former Director of
   Policy Planning at the US State Department, says he thinks Jang's
   relationship with Kim Jong Un was overrated by many outside of North
   Korea.
   "I think that his role as an advisor and guide to the young Kim was
   probably overstated from the beginning based on wishful thinking,
   particularly by the Chinese," said Reiss.
   China has reacted to the news by saying it is North Korea's internal
   affair.
   Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress &
   Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, says the execution could force
   China to recalculate its relations with Pyongyang.
   "I think it is much more an internal struggle and says very little
   about South Korea or China," said Korb. "In many ways I think it will
   move China to be much more cautious in whatever aid or help they give
   them because they're not quite sure what this young ruler will do."
   China's ties with North Korea have been strained since North Korea
   conducted an underground nuclear test last spring. But Beijing remains
   Pyongyang's most important ally.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-s-korea-react-cautiously-to-n-kore
   a-execution/1809913.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-s-korea-react-cautiously-to-n-korea-execution/1809913.html