Kim Jong-un's aunt died after 'heated' phone call with dictator

The aunt of Kim Jong-un suffered a fatal stroke during a heated phone call with the North Korean dictator, just days after he executed her husband.

A highly-placed defector named Kang Myung-do, son-in-law to a former North Korean prime minister, made this dramatic claim in an interview with CNN.

Kim shocked the world when he had his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, described as the second-most powerful figure in North Korea, put to death by firing squad last December on charges that he tried to overthrow the government.

The brutal move left the fate of Jang's wife, Kim Kyong-hui, in question.

CNN reports that she was on the phone to her nephew when she reportedly suffered a stroke and was rushed to hospital where she later died.

Kim Kyong-hui's fate has been a source of speculation for months now.

In October the South Korean newspaper JoonAng Daily, citing a different defector, reported that Kim Kyung-hui had been in a vegetative state ever since suffering a cerebral hemorrhage after being overcome by grief.

Last week The Wall Street Journal, citing yet another defector, claimed the aunt fatally poisoned herself.

CNN said he could not independently verify Kang Myung-do's account.