Unconfirmed but widespread reports North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is either gravely ill or near death following a botched heart surgery has triggered rumors about a successor. And, this early, the leading contender for the title of Supreme Leader is Kim Yo-jong, the current leader's younger sister.
Kim Yo-jong, 32, has been the first First Deputy Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department since 2014. She and her brother are close, having studied together in Switzerland from 1996 to 2000.
North Korea watchers surmise Kim Yo-jong won't lead the country as a dictator like her brother but will be the head of collective leadership. This collective leadership with Kim Yo-jong at the helm will remain in place until one of Kim Jong-un's three children becomes old enough to assume the title of Supreme Leader, continuing the Kim dynasty.
Michael Madden, an expert on North Korea's leadership, says there are about 10 to 20 different scenarios that are possible should Kim be incapacitated. He's also the North Korean leadership specialist of NK News, the well-respected English-language North Korean monitoring website.
Kim Yo-jong does have experience in surviving the brutal and sometimes lethal world of North Korea politics. Over the past years, she has been one of the most visible members of her brother's leadership team.
"The continuity of the regime is the key," according to Madden.
Madden said Kim Jong-un doesn't have a well-defined succession plan. The state, however, does have a system of leadership succession in place.
"And the reason they have that setup is that they have nuclear weapons, they have got to maintain constant command and control over the nuclear weapons assets," he pointed out.
Daily NK, an online publication based in South Korea that focuses on the north reported Kim Jong-un had heart surgery on April 12 and was being treated in a villa in Hyangsan County. Kim suffers from obesity (he stands 5 feet 7 inches but weighs more than 300 lbs); is said to have heart problems; smokes close to 100 cigarettes a day and suffers from gout.
Trump administration officials said the U.S. is monitoring intelligence indicating Kim is in grave danger after undergoing the surgery. Another intelligence source revealed the U.S. has been closely monitoring reports on Kim's health.
On the other hand, a South Korean official said Kim is "believed to be in other parts of North Korea than Pyongyang with other North Korean top officials." He said, "no unusual signs supporting reports about his health conditions have been detected."
