S. Korea prepares for possible provocation by N. Korea

With reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle being ousted from multiple high-ranking positions, attention is shifting to what happens now?
South Korea is preparing for possible provocations.
Hwang Sung-hee reports. As soon as reports surfaced of Jang Song-thaek's ousting, the South Korean government began preparing against possible provocations by North Korea.
At a meeting of top military commanders on Wednesday, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin noted the possibility of increased instability in North Korea following the political shake-up and warned that this could lead to provocations targeting the South.
The top military commander ordered South Korean troops to maintain a level of high vigilance.
In the past, Pyongyang has escalated inter-Korean tensions as a means of maintaining internal unity.
If that's the case this time around, a fourth nuclear test or missile launch could be in the cards.
On Tuesday, Seoul's National Intelligence Service said Jang had been purged, and two of his close confidants executed.
As Kim's uncle, Jang practically served as the guardian of the young and inexperienced dictator and was known as the "power behind the throne," while holding multiple high-ranking positions.
While the ousting has not been officially confirmed, South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae told lawmakers Wednesday that Jang had most likely been removed from his posts pointing to an internal power struggle as one of the key reasons.
The minister, however, said that Jang and his wife Kim Kyong-hui appear to be safe.
Experts see Jang's dismissal as the last phase of the young leader's power consolidation, saying that Kim has removed all of the old guard that had been close to his father and is now solidifying his own inner group.
They say a complete removal of Jang and his aides may carry North Korea further away from successful economic reform -- one of Kim's key policy goals -- since Jang is more aware of market forces than his nephew.
Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.