Perhaps none of the reasons given for the purging of Jang Song-thaek the second most powerful man in North Korea as the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission back in December 2013—factionalism, corruption, and political ambition—was the real reason for his downfall.
What really caused the Korean leader Kim Jong Un to take out his own uncle, was Jang’s secret exchange of words with then Chinese leader Hu Jintao in August 2012. On Feb. 22 overseas Chinese news website Boxun reported on the event that took place in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
During the hourlong, closed-door meeting with Hu, Jang raised the issue of having Kim Jong Un replaced with his paternal half-brother Kim Jong Nam. The only other person present in the meeting was a Chinese translator.