Wife of Kim Jong-un's purged uncle is dead: reports 'Execution-by-dog' a social media tale After claims emerged that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his uncle executed by a pack of dogs, the source of the story has now been identified as a Chinese social networking website. PT1M7S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-30eab 620 349 January 7, 2014 - 11:36AM Tokyo: The aunt of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and the estranged wife of Jang Song-taek, who was executed last month, has either died of a heart attack or committed suicide, according to reports. Kim Kyong-hui, 67, previously a leading figure in the regime, is believed to have been ill for several years. She was reportedly treated for cancer and travelled to Russia last month for treatment for a heart complaint. A source in the South Korean government was quoted in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper as saying that she had either died from a heart attack or committed suicide. Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman and his entourage arrive at the international airport in Pyongyang, North Korea. The Daily NK, a dissident newspaper based in Japan, reported that she left North Korea for medical treatment after suffering a heart attack brought on by stress because of her husband's purge and execution. Kim Kyong-hui, the sister of the former leader Kim Jong-il, served as secretary of the party and held the rank of general in the Korean People's Army. She was last seen in public on September 10 and was absent from ceremonies to mark the second anniversary of the death of her brother on December 17. ""It would not come as a surprise if she is indeed dead,"" Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and an authority on North Korean affairs, told London's Daily Telegraph. ""She is not well. She has been treated for cancer and the alcoholism dates back about 30 years."" It was not possible to verify reports of her death. There are frequent rumours surrounding North Korea's elite - last week reports spread around the world that Jang had been executed by being thrown to a pack of starving dogs. It has since been shown that the story originated from a satirical post on a Chinese social networking site. Meanwhile, the American former basketball player Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea on Monday with a team for an exhibition game on what is thought to be Kim Jong-un's birthday tomorrow. ""The marshal is actually trying to change this country in a great way,"" Rodman said of Kim Jong-un. ""I think that people thought that this was a joke, and Dennis Rodman is just doing this because of fame and fortune."" Instead, he said, he saw the game as a ""birthday present"" for Kim and his country.