Kim Jong-un’s Reported Death Has People Weighing in on His Sister, Potential Successor Kim Yo-jong

After increased speculation about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his sister Kim Yo-jong became the center of attention on social media. It is not clear who would succeed Kim if he dies, but it has been speculated that Yo-jong would be tapped as Kim does not have any children old enough to take the job.

Kim, who is believed to be 36, had surgery earlier this month. The procedure reportedly did not go well, and there was speculation Kim was brain dead or possibly even deceased. As getting information from North Korea is difficult for any media outlet, none of these reports could be independently verified. South Korea’s current position is that Kim is “alive and well,” reports CNN. Speculation about his health has been going on since he missed an event celebrating his grandfather’s birthday on April 15. The South Korea website Daily NK reported Kim had a cardiovascular procedure on April 12, citing an unnamed North Korea source.

“Our government position is firm,” Moon Chung-in, a foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told CNN. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected.”

​

On Saturday, Reuters reported China sent medical experts and officials to North Korea to “advise” on Kim’s health. However on Sunday, Pyongyang newspaper Rodong Sinmum said Kim was sending thanks to workers who helped remodel the city Samjiyon. CNN could not independently verify the Sunday report.

​

Although North Korea’s ruling party is dominated by men, Yo-jong is believed to be the top candidate to replace her brother. Not too much is known about her, including her age. She is younger than Kim and believed to be in her early 30s. Last month, she made her first public statement, criticizing South Korea for opposing a military demonstration, reports the New York Post. In 2017, the U.S. Treasury Department blackslisted her for “severe human rights abuses,” leading some to fear she would be as strict a ruler as her brother, father and grandfather.

​

Sue Mi Terry, a former North Korea analyst for the C.I.A., told the New Yorker Yo-jong is the “logical” successor. “It is an open question whether North Korean elites would accept a woman, but they would have a more difficult time accepting somebody outside the Kim family,” Sue said.

​

“She has gotten a lot more serious,” Michael Madden, who manages North Korea Leadership Watch, told the New Yorker of Yo-jong. “When you see footage of her on the receiving lines, she is smiling, a nice, friendly young woman, but when she is out of those lines, the smile vanishes and she even looks like Kim Jong-il.”

​

​