Amid rumors of his own execution, North Korean state media on Monday said that Jang Song Thaek had been "eliminated" from the party and his group "purged" – for reasons including corruption, factionalism, drug abuse, anti-state activities and womanizing.

The decision, the most public dismissal of a member of the Kim family and their associates in history, was made on Sunday at an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea, state media said.