Updated

Two South Korean lawmakers say they were told by intelligence officials that two associates of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle were executed last month. They say the uncle has not been seen in public since then and may have been dismissed.

There was no way to independently confirm the report about Jang Song Thaek. South Korean intelligence officials have erred in the past in predicting changes in the secretive North.

Seoul's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, wouldn't confirm the details. One of the lawmakers, Jung Chung-rae, said the NIS didn't tell him how it obtained the information.

Jang is married to former leader Kim Jong Il's sister. He was seen as a powerful influence during Kim Jong Un's first year in power.

Jang was last seen in North Korean media Nov. 6.