In the days following the Dec. 12 execution of Jang Song Thaek, North Korea's erstwhile No. 2 and Kim Jong Un's uncle by marriage, state media reportedly scrubbed its online archives, erasing thousands of articles that mentioned Jang. Accused of crimes including failure to clap with sufficient enthusiasm when Kim was honored with an important title, Jang was also edited out of official video footage. But it will be harder for Kim to erase his uncle's legacy than his image. Jang, 67, had accumulated decades of experience and cultivated deep networks, particularly in China, where he traveled on several official visits and backed a joint development project near the Chinese city of Dan-dong. In the ultraconservative corridors of North Korean power, that made him something of a liberal. It's unclear whether Kim, who pledged to establish special economic zones, will fully adopt Jang's push for further opening of North Korea's tightly controlled economy.
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