Not long after the ouster of Jang Song Taek, North Korea’s leaders have paid their respects on the second anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il’s death.  There were some notable appearances – and absences – at the ceremony, but a look at history indicates that the two-year anniversary may herald the beginning of the end of the first phase in Kim Jong Un’s leadership.

North Korea held memorial services in Pyongyang on December 17 marking the second anniversary of the death of former Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il.  Current Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, along with other senior officials,