As Kim Jong Un escorted his father's coffin through the snowy streets of Pyongyang, seven older men walked with him, representing the cream of the old regime.
Two years later, five of those senior officials have fallen victim to what South Korean intelligence suggests is the biggest purge of North Korea’s upper ranks since the late 1950s. And yesterday’s spectacular denunciation of Jang Song Thaek – the uncle who walked directly behind Mr Kim at the funeral – marks the most important casualty yet in the young leader’s apparent drive to eliminate threats to his authority.
With titles including vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, Mr Jang was widely seen as Mr Kim’s most influential lieutenant, an experienced figure who guided the untested ruler’s policy decisions. But his downfall, first revealed by South Korea’s spy agency last week, was confirmed yesterday by state media, complete with dramatic footage of Mr Jang being arrested and pulled from his seat at a party meeting.