Picture perfect: Kim Jong-un and wife Ri Sol-ju have traditional moral values, which rogue uncle Jang violated
Picture perfect: Kim Jong-un and wife Ri Sol-ju have traditional moral values, which rogue uncle Jang violated Reuters
North Korea said Jang Song-Thaek led a 'dissolute and depraved life' (Reuters)
North Korea said Jang Song-thaek led a 'dissolute and depraved life'

It seems North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has a strong moral compass when it comes to affairs of the heart.

The young married leader of the so-called Hermit Kingdom was so outraged by his uncle's promiscuousness while in charge of the country's 'pleasure brigade' – a national song and dance troupe – that he had Jang Song-thaek seized and executed.

That is according to a sushi chef who regularly cooked for Kim Jong-il, the present leader's father. Kenji Fujimoto said Jang's execution was less due to politics and court intrigue than it was to his extra-curricular activities with young girls from the countryside drafted in to the totalitarian regime's entertainment corps.

His father also had quite a history with women. So he wanted to prove that he's different and that he would eradicate such practices
- Kenji Fujimoto

Speaking to NK News, Fujimoto said: "if you want to make it in Pyongyang as a singer and get to the interview stage... Well, it's like in Japan... You know how they say: "So what'll it be? Come stay the night with me."

"So it was that kind of custom. But this is something that Supreme Commander Kim Jong-un hates the most. He loathes having relations with multiple women. And that's why he conducted such a terrible execution."

Reports that Kim Jong-un strongly supports monogamy is surprising for a dictator who wields absolute power to indulge himself. According to Kenji Fujimoto, Kim's own father enjoyed relations with several women.

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But North Korea's current leader is much less a fan of collective love. Everyone is familiar with the embarrassing uncle stereotype, but few people deal with it by machine gunning them.

"He hates that kind of thing the most," said Fujimoto. "His grandfather Kim il-sung did similar things. His father also had quite a history with women. So having seen them, he wanted to prove that he's different and that he would eradicate such practices. Basically, I think this was what the execution [of Jang] was about."

Fujimoto said: "North Korea is a country that hates to debase its public moral values, especially through that kind of immoral behavior. So it [Jang's infidelity] ignited Kim's rage."

It seems that while North Korea is prepared to threaten global catastrophe and annihilation for its enemies, inside the reclusive state there is a strong focus on homely social mores.

North Korea