There is again speculation around the world: Is North Korea's ruler Kim Jong-un in a coma? His death would have drastic consequences for the isolated country - will Sister Kim Yo-Jong take over the scepter?
- There is renewed speculation that Kim Jong-uns's state of health is said to be critical: apparently the ruler of North Korea is in a coma.
- In South Korea, people fear a “dangerous power vacuum ” should Kim Jong-un die.
- It seems more and more likely that his younger sister Kim Yo-jong will be the successor to state power .
North Korea - North Korea's rulers appear to be in a coma - but this is not the first time media reports around the world have reported this this year. As early as April there was wild speculation that 36-year-old Kim Jong-un * was in an artificial coma after an operation , having disappeared from the public image surface for a few weeks.
According to a senior South Korean diplomat, Chang Song Min , North Korea's rulers have been in a coma again for a few days. This is reported, among other things, by the news portal OE24.at, citing local media on site. The last pictures of Kim Jong-un were published four days ago on North Korean state television - they were allegedly taken on August 9, but they could also be older. This can never be achieved with absolute certainty , as more detailed information on the propaganda photos is often kept under lock and key.
Kim Yong-un: South Korea's diplomat calls a possible death of the ruler a "catastrophe"
After Kim Jong-un recovered very slowly from his operation in the spring , he is said to have already handed over parts of his responsibilities to his younger sister Kim Yo-jong . She has been an influential advisor to her brother for several years . However, the ruler has not yet been able to fully clarify his successor , according to Bild.de.
Kim Yo-jong would not automatically move to the top of the state at the moment - according to Chang Song Min, a collective leadership group would probably take power first . The South Korean diplomat is certain that Kim's death would "mean a catastrophe for the country" in any case, because his death would create a "dangerous power vacuum " that neither the younger sister nor a collective leadership group - currently - completely fill could.
Kim Yo Jong, the little sister of North Korea's ruler Kim Jong-un. (Archive image)
© Patrick Semansky / dpa / Pool AP
But it is noticeable that Kim Yo-jong's political influence is growing and that the North Korean media are reporting on her more and more frequently. In March, as a party official , she made her own political declaration for the first time . In it, she punished the South Korean government's criticism of the new North Korean missile tests furiously and radically. In June it announced harsh retaliatory actions against Seoul , and shortly afterwards North Korea blew up an empty inter-Korean liaison office on the border with South Korea . She received the powers from the ruler and the party , wrote the South Korean newspaper "Hankyoreh" according to information from the picture.
Kim Yo-jong , whose age can only be estimated at 32, is considered educated and ambitious - she is also known for being cool and tough. In the video , PULS 24 asks itself whether Kim Yo-jong is currently "the most dangerous woman in the world":
(cos) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network.
List of rubric lists: © Korea Summit Press Pool / kyodo / dpa
