The current Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, may have tossed his people into political prisons or allowed them to starve. But he didn't go on a murderous rampage of his own inner circle, says the defector.
Why is Kim Jong Un cracking down his top generals?
Why is Kim Jong Un cracking down his top generals? 02:09
Kim Jong Un took the opposite approach with his elites. Jang was just one of a number of the ruling class Kim Jong Un began to purge, as the young leader flexed his dictatorial muscles.
The outside world waited to see any fallout or any reaction among North Korea's people. There was nothing. But within North Korea's upper echelons, the defector says the reaction was silent but sweeping.