Where is Kim Jong-un's sister? Kim Yo-jong goes out of public view amid growing fears of her rise to 'number 2'
After her brother's mysterious disappearances this year, it is Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong who has vanished from the public eye, sparking fears that her rise to prominence as the supreme leader's "number two" has gone a bit too far for the nation's liking.
After the dictator's failing health and even rumors about his possible death started circulating in the media around mid-April this year, after Jong-un's absence from his late grandfather's birthday celebrations – the most important day in North Korea – Yo-jong appeared to be taking the reins of the secretive state's policies, representing the regime at official events. She also began to be touted as a possible future successor to her brother.
However, she was not pictured at a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party last week, despite having attended such meetings in the past. The dictator's sister was last seen in public on July 27 at an event to mark 67 years since the armistice that ended the Korean War. There were speculations that she might be lying low in order to avoid angering her brother by appearing to gain the favor of the people through her role.
An expert told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo that the North has been seen previously seen to demote anyone seen as a "number two". Nevertheless, the case of Yo-jong may not be the same as she is a member of the ruling dynasty. "In the past, anyone was deprived of their position the moment they were described as the number two person in the North," said professor Nam Sung-wook of Korea University. "There must be a semblance of checks and balances, although Kim Yo-jong is a family member."
Jong-un infamously had his own uncle killed in order to secure his own grip on power after succeeding his father Kim Jong-il in 2011. Although he vanished from public view in April for several weeks, he resurfaced in May to put an end to rumors that he was no more and that North Korea would soon be electing a new leader.
Concerns over Jong-un's health resurfaced earlier this month after Chang Song-min, a former aide to the late South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, told South Korean media that based on the intel he’d received, Jong-un was in a coma but not deceased. The aide continued, "A complete succession structure has not been formed, so his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, is being brought to the fore as the vacuum cannot be maintained for a prolonged period."
As per the same report, North Korea's own National Intelligence Service (NIS) mentioned that although Jong-un still is the “absolute power”, he would gradually begin to transfer authority to Yo-jong to "ease stress." Seoul’s spy agency, NIS, said on August 20 that managing state affairs had caused Jong-un recently to delegate some of his powers to select a group of senior officials.
However, the rumors about him being in a coma were quashed rumors he appeared rather healthy-looking in new photos released by North Korea's state news agency. According to the Korean Central News Agency, the pics show Kim leading a meeting of the politburo of the Workers Party on August 25 in a bid to call for measures against COVID-19 and a devastating typhoon. The images were syndicated through the Associated Press, which noted that the photos couldn't be independently verified as independent journalists weren't granted access to the event.
