Accusations Leading to His Death Penalty
- Quotations from the Chinese press translated by "Ulysses" -
张成泽从上世纪80年代光复大街建设时期就开始筹集贵金属，并在属下组建秘密机构，藐视国法，从银行调出巨额资金买进贵金属，结果对国家的财政管理体系造成巨大混乱，犯下了反国家罪行。
Starting in the "Main Road to Recovery" period of construction during the 1980ies, Chang Sung-taek began to acquire precious metal and simultaneously established a secret organization. Despising national law, he thoughtfully spent huge funds to buy precious metal. As a result, the nation's system of financial administration built up enormous chaos. Such he committed a crime against the country.
从2009年起，张成泽向其心腹走卒散布种种淫秽图片，带动资本主义寻欢作乐风气混入国内，到处挥霍无度、骄奢淫逸。
Since 2009, Chang Sung-taek spread all sorts of obscene photos towards his trusted lackeys. He brought along some capitalist mood of seeking pleasure and having a good time drifting into the country, everywhere spending without restraint and love of luxury.
仅以张成泽在2009年一年里从其小金库拿出挥霍460多万欧元，出入海外赌场一事，足以证明他何等堕落、变质。
Only [to mention that] Chang Sung-taek in 2009, within one single year, seized and spent more than 4.6 million Euro from his small treasure, in relation with entering into an overseas gambling house. Proof enough what kind of [morally] degenerate person he is.
张成泽被对政权的野心冲昏头脑，盲目猖狂，以至于愚蠢地认为若动员军队，政变可以得逞，因此执拗地企图对人民军伸出魔爪。
Chang Sung-taek, obsessed by wild ambition towards political power, blind and reckless to such an extent that he foolishly considered, if he [only] mobilized the army, a coup d'état could succeed. Therefore, he wilfully attempted to stretch out his claws towards the People's Army.
在庭审过程中，张成泽淋漓尽致地流露出了其作为千古逆贼的丑恶居心。他说：“我试图使军队和人民中间产生对现政权就国家经济状况和民生深陷困境束手无策的不满”，政变的对象正是“最高领导人”。
During the progress of law court interrogations, Chang Sung-taek thoroughly revealed that he harboured the evil intentions of an eternal traitor. He said: " I attempted to use the army and the people [to turn] against the current regime, [as] the condition of national economy and the people's living conditions sink into a difficult position, tieing their hands in a grievance without any plan [to get out]. " The target of a coup d'état [therefore] being exactly the " supreme leadership ".
Editor's Note:
The Chinese text above is quoting an official report from KCNA [朝鲜中央通信社（朝鲜语：조선중앙통신사；英语：Korean Central News Agency），简称朝中社]. The Chinese source [中国新闻网] on which my translation is based did not add any editorial or semi-official Chinese comment whatsoever.
Editor's Comment: North Korea at the Edge December 16, 2013
In 2013, the news about North Korea have dominated the bandwidth of news reports provided by "blueprint news".
It began in January, on the occasion of his new year's speech, that leader Kim Jong-un surprised us with an announcement of political changes related to Korea's national economy. A new leader trying new ways of ruling his country, one might have thought. Even the successful launch of a Unha 3 rocket carrying an earth-observation satellite could have been seen at that time as a defensive measure rather than another preparation for nuclear war using intercontinental missiles.
Then, in February 2013, another nuclear test, even though not completely successful, brought Korea's nuclear subject back to our perception and on the agenda of a Japanese - U.S. summit. From there it took only some further weeks to North Korea's declaration that war on the peninsula "could not be avoided".
It was at the end of March that North Korea actually declared the state of war between North and South Korea. Furthermore, the North threatened to close the Gaeseong industrial complex near the border to South Korea. That industrial zone was once established to improve economic cooperation between both countries and has granted the impoverished North access to $2 billion in trade per year.
The industrial complex was really closed some time later, and in April 2013 the Korean peninsula found itself at the edge of war. During that month, "blueprint news" published 15 blogspots, all of them related to North Korea. However, the war declared by the North never became hot. Actually, it cooled off after some time, and business in the Gaesong industrial complex continued as usual.
In June, a new development was triggered off when China didn't put forward again the "relationship of sworn brothers" but, instead, urged N Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. Since then, Chinese - Korean relations seem to have cooled down, although neither Beijing nor Pyongyang have given official declarations about that.
In December 2013, the "grey kingdom of ghosts", ruled by the Kim family, got its first cracks when one of its few accessible representatives, Chang Sung-taek, was sentenced to death. No wonder that U.S. foreign secretary John Kerry is quoted as saying that North Korea has become even more unstable, while latest news from Germany are indicating that North Korea has just called back its citizens from China where they are now engaged in business, probably as an answer to China's unspoken sympathies for Chang Sung-taek whom they came to know for many years as a partner in Chinese - Korean negotiations.
It seems that Pyongyang's strict political isolation, in combination with military aggression at the edge of reason, is now going to take its toll.
