When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his uncle dragged out of a government meeting, tried, and executed within 24 hours, international observers took it as a sign that Kim would do anything to consolidate power.  But Kim’s aunt is alive and well and apparently still in the ruling circle.

North Korea announced the death of a high-ranking Workers Party official and included Aunt Kim Kyong-hui's name on the list of dignitaries planning his funeral.  She’s the sister of Kim Jong UN’s father, and the daughter of Kim Il Song, the founder of North Korea.

"By placing Kim Kyong-hui's name on the list, North Korea officially confirmed that she is alive and well," said Lee Soo-seok at South Korea’s Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun quoted a source close to a high-ranking North Korean official as saying on Saturday that Kim Kyong-hui divorced Jang Song-Thaek the day before his execution.  The North Korean leader had ordered the divorce and that his aunt did not object.

Of Uncle Jang’s death, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, “It's an ominous sign of the instability and of the danger that does exist.”