Kim Jong-un’s sister 'ready' to be world's first female dictator in modern history as she slams death rumors
Kim Jong-un's younger sister has once again been tipped as a possible rival to lead the country considering her monumental rise in North Korea. Kim Yo-jong made a series of shocking statements as she hit back at rumors she was dead, and is now said to be "ready to become the world's first female dictator in modern history," The Sun reported.
The 32-year-old royal is perceived as a key figure in the Hermit Kingdom and has been described as a political "princess" second only to her brother. Yo-jong was made the First Deputy Director of the Workers Party's Propaganda and Agitation Department in 2014. She has since risen through the ranks and first emerged on the world stage alongside her brother during his sensational summits with President Donald Trump in 2018, as well as at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in Korea in February that year.
North Korean insiders have reportedly claimed that Kim Yo-jong is plotting to take on the South in order to secure her power within the regime. According to The Sun, her despot brother also wants to ensure she has sufficient support to take over should he die before his son, 12, comes of age. Sources have reportedly claimed Yo-jong needs to build her portfolio by winning some "revolutionary achievements" to get the backing of North Korea's highly traditional ruling class. The heiress-apparent grabbed headlines in June when she lashed out at South Korea after being blamed as the mastermind behind the demolition of a highly symbolic liaison office at the border.
After months of radio silence, there was speculation about her whereabouts -- with some saying she may have been purged by her brother, who allegedly has a penchant for executing rivals, even within the family. This came amid rumors that Kim Jong-un himself was in a coma and that Kim Yo-jong would finally stake her claim to the throne.
But Yo-jong made a fiery comeback recently as she warned the South Korean Foreign Minister that she will "pay dearly" for her "reckless remarks" about North Korea after questions were raised about the country reportedly having no COVID-19 cases. Addressing Kang Kyung-wha, Yo-jong warned her comments could “further chill the frozen relations between the north and south of Korea."
According to The Sun, Yo-jong is widely acknowledged as the leader of the dictatorship's Organisation and Guidance Department, a top-secret agency that observes the actions of the government, top levels of the army, as well as the ruling party. As the first vice director of the OGD, she reportedly has the power to exact penalties ranging from exile to imprisonment, and even death.
According to Lee Sung-yoon, a professor at Tuft University's Fletcher School, Yo-jong's "blue blood supersedes formal titles." “She is the de facto No. 2 in the DPRK (North Korean) hierarchy and the only true confidante of consequence for Kim Jong-un," he told The Daily Beast.
Meanwhile, Yo-jong is also said to be the first vice director of the United Front Department. "By the authority granted by her brother Kim Jong Un, the Party, and the State, she will henceforth punish South Korea, which she designated an ‘enemy'," Sung-yoon explained.
However, the real test of Yo-jong's influence will be while dealing with the incoming Joe Biden administration, according to Bruce Klingner, Asia expert at the Heritage Foundation. He said Yo-jong once "dismissed the likelihood or necessity of further US-North Korean dialogue," but "left the door open if Washington capitulated to Pyongyang's demands." Klingner added she's "likely the second most powerful person in North Korea" and the one who the North Korean supremo "trusts the most".