Kim Jong-un, uncle warred over seafood exports to China before purge: report
Control over lucrative seafood farms, not just coal, were at the centre of battle between the forces of North's two top leaders, a report says
Kim Jong-un and his uncle Jang Song-thaek fought over the nation’s lucrative shellfish exports, culminating in a firefight between their forces in recent months, a report said, providing a rare glimpse of deep political rifts and how power games are played in the North Korean regime.
Kim had ordered his 67-year-old uncle to give up control of lucrative businesses, especially seafood farms previously run by the military, but the elder refused, according to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday.
The crabs, clams and coal, among other goods, were in recent years exported mainly to China, a country with whom Jang had deep ties.
The profits then passed through Jang’s hands or through state agencies he controlled, it said.
However, when Kim saw that troops were underfed, he ordered Jang to return the businesses to the military, but was refused, the report said. Kim apparently sent more than 100 troops to the seafood farms, sparking a battle with Jang’s loyalists. The troops were “badly” defeated.
The firefight, which “enraged" Kim Jong-un, was said to have taken place either in September or early October, the report said, citing intelligence from South Korean and American officials and accounts from lawyers close to the matter.