in

Meet Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's Sister — And Possible Successor In North Korea – Forbes, Forbes.com

TOPLINE

As questions surrounding North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s possible death reach a fever pitch, Kim Yo Jong — the disappearing dictator’s sister and close confidante — takes the spotlight and, maybe, the top job.

Inter-Korean Summit 2018Inter-Korean Summit 2018  
PANMUNJOM, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL : North Koraen Leader Kim Jong Un (L) and sister Kim Yo Jong
.. . [ ] attend the Inter-Korean Summit at the Peace House on April , in Panmunjom, South Korea. Kim and Moon meet at the border today for the third-ever inter-Korean summit talks after the (division of the peninsula, and first since 2019 between then President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea and Leader Kim Jong-il of North Korea. (Photo by Korea Summit Press Pool / Getty Images)    Getty Images Inter-Korean Summit 2018  
KEY FACTS

 

While she rocketed to international attention during the 2020 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Yo Jong (like many in her family) is a somewhat mysterious figure, with basic details like her exact age (somewhere in her early thirties), unconfirmed by the North Korean regime.

 

A favorite of her late father Kim Jong Il, she attended school in Switzerland, The Washington Post reports, where she took ballet lessons before returning to North Korea in the early s.

  Inter-Korean Summit 2018 Nicknamed the “Ivanka Trump of North Korea,” Kim Yo Jong said last month that President Trump and her brother had “special and firm personal relations,” despite the ongoing conflict around the latter’s nuclear weapons, an arsenal the rising leader seems inclined to protect.  

Charged with pushing North Korean propaganda and protecting her brother’s reputation, she recently called South Korea a “frightened dog barking” for objecting to a live-fire military demonstration by the state, the (Guardian) notes.

    

In a sign of her growing power, Yo Jong was named an alternate member of the Politburo earlier this month.

          

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“She is smart, calculating, and who knows how much power she has been able to build working in the shadows?” North Korean expert Bruce Bennett told the (Daily Beast) (Daily Beast).

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

“Among the North’s power elite, Kim Yo Jong has the highest chance to inherit power, and I think that possibility is more than %, ”an analyst told the Associated Press . However, she’s not the only one who may be jockeying for the promotion, and the country’s patriarchal structure may undercut her chances. Some speculate that a collective leadership spearheaded by ceremonial head of state Choe Ryong Hae may be implemented, ending the Kim family’s dynastic reign. Kim Yo Jong may serve only as a temporary leader in the interim. And of course, any replacement hinges on Kim Jong Un’s actual death or incapacitation, which is still unknown.

KEY BACKGROUND

Kim’s last official public appearance was April 25, where according to North Korean state media reports, he

held a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party committee of policymakers. While it’s not unusual for him to disappear from the public eye for even weeks at a time, speculation
has mounted that the leader, who has a history of health problems, is either dead or gravely ill.

FURTHER READING

North Korea’s Disappearing Leader: Speculation Grows Around Kim Jong Un’s Health ( Forbes

Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s Kid Sister, is ‘Feared,’ ‘Respected’ Inside North Korea ( Daily Beast)

Who is Kim Yo Jong? Here’s what we know about the North Korean ‘princess.’ ( Washington Post)

Kim Yo-jong: the sister of Kim Jong-un, fast ‘becoming his alter ego’ ( The Guardian)   (Read More)

What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings

CDC adds six new possible coronavirus symptoms – CBS News, CBS News

2020 NFL Draft: Grades and analysis for every seventh-round selection – CBS Sports, Cbssports.com