News reports about Jang Song-thaek, the powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, have been deleted from the website of the state news agency, supporting speculation Jang has been ousted.

The Korean-language website of the North Korean Central News Agency displayed no result for Jang when searched on Sunday by an AFP correspondent.

South Korea's intelligence department said last week that Jang had apparently been purged and two of his associates executed, in what would be the biggest shake-up since Kim came to power in December 2011.

AFP