The “Iron Lady” of North Korea … even her brother is shaking!



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On August 26, 2020, North Korea’s main news agency released images showing Kim Jong Un presiding over an expanded meeting of the Labor Party’s political bureau.

The country’s supreme leader appeared to be in excellent condition, at least for a man who, according to many international media, had … died a few days earlier …

It was not the first time that rumors about his “death” Kim jong un they were published in the media of South Korea and China before going around the world. Rumors about Kim Jong Un’s health have been circulating since 2014, when the “supreme leader” had to show signs of life for 40 days, with some media in South Korea talking about his removal from power. after a coup in the country. However, a few days later, Kim Jong Un made a public appearance, walking with the help of a cane.

As some western media commented at the time, his absence did not seem to be due to a “coup” but to uric acid that afflicted the “supreme leader.” In April 2020, rumors about his state of health circulated again, since the 25th of the month is an important anniversary for the country’s Armed Forces and the current leader is used to participating in the festivities. However, Kim Jong Un was absent again.

The secrecy, which forbids any official North Korean statement regarding the Kim dynasty, makes it nearly impossible to monitor the health of the country’s leader or even other members. Pyongyang’s control over the flow of information is absolute, and even neighboring South Korea has failed to establish a credible intelligence network. Although little is known about the North Korean leader, who is believed to be 36 or 38 years old and weighs around 110 kilograms, it is certain that Kim Jong Un is a chain smoker with a serious medical history, as his father had serious heart problems. while he had also suffered a stroke.

He is also an NBA fan and personal friend of sports star Dennis Rodman, while he appears to be married to his much younger ex-singer Ri Sol-ju. It is also true that in case Kim Jong Un dies, then the question of succession to the dynasty of the “holy mountain Paektu”, which is named after the Kim family of the volcano where it is rumored that not only Kim Il Sung was born , but and Dang-kun himself, the “god king” who founded Korea 4,000 years ago. And one of the people most likely to take over the reins of North Korea is the mysterious Kim Yo-jong. The younger sister of the country’s “supreme leader” and the only member of the Kim family who is already at the top of the pyramid of power and is considered a person of total confidence by Kim Jong Un. A personality that is characterized by many as the “tougher version” of her brother.

Kim Jong Un is believed to have been born on September 26, 1987, although according to US officials, he may have been born two years later. During their teens, the Kim family sent their two brothers to Switzerland to study at the renowned Bern International School, an educational institution with tuition fees of more than $ 20,000 a year. According to international analysts, this was the period during which the two brothers became very close, as they lived under strict confinement in a $ 4 million apartment that the Pyongyang regime bought specifically for the two students.

According to Swiss media, citing classmates of the Kim brothers, when Kim Yoo-jong caught a simple cold, she was immediately airlifted, accompanied by a group of bodyguards and guards, to a famous Swiss hospital. Upon returning to Pyongyang, she completed her computer science studies and when her brother took over the leadership of the country in 2011, she was by his side as a person of absolute confidence.

Her role in North Korea’s political affairs appears to have strengthened in 2017, when she was promoted to Pyongyang’s most powerful political office. Before that, she was vice president of the propaganda department, with sole responsibility for promoting her brother’s public image. In 2018, Kim Yoo-jong first made headway in the international media when she became the first member of the Kim dynasty to visit South Korea as head of the Pyongyang delegation for the Winter Olympics in South Korea, when the two countries of the Korean peninsula competed as a team. That same year, Kim Jong Un sided with his brother during a series of high-level diplomatic contacts, including with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Communist Party of China General Secretary Xi Jinping and President of the United States of America Donald Trump.

Since then, Kim Jong Un’s younger sister appears to be setting the tone for North Korea’s foreign policy. In April 2020, South Korean activists “bombarded” North Korea with hundreds of balloons proclaiming against the Pyongyang regime. Kim Yoo-jong’s response was immediate. After publicly blaming Seoul for its “inability” to prevent the spread of “propaganda material”, it described the president as a “scared dog” and the activists as “human garbage” and “bastard dogs.” She also threatened retaliation, such as the destruction of the inter-Korean liaison office on North Korean soil, for which Seoul had spent about $ 8 million. And in carrying out her threats, she completely destroyed it with explosives. Kim Jong-un herself even ordered the movement of troops to demilitarized zones on the border with South Korea, which was canceled at the last minute with the intervention of her own brother.

Many analysts in South Korea, but also in Western countries, do not describe the two brothers as a version of the classic “good and bad cop”, but rather as “a bad cop and a bad cop”, with the second role legitimately belonging to Kim Yoo. – jong. The younger sister of the supreme leader of North Korea appears to be married to the son of Choi Rong-ha, the powerful party secretary and practically the second in the hierarchy of the regime. If this information is valid, then should a succession issue arise in the country, Kim Yo-jong has important allies on her side.

Almost no analyst believes that in such a case, Kim Jong Un will be less aggressive internationally and less authoritarian within his own country. After all, the nature of the Pyongyang regime almost demands it. The issue of gender does not appear to play a significant role in the male-dominated country, as ensuring that power remains with a member of the Kim dynasty who continues the “tradition” that began in 1948 will not be easy to challenge. . Kim Jong Un’s older brother Kim Jong Un is not interested in politics, while his half brother Kim Jong Il has been living in self-imposed exile in Europe and North Korea for years, treated more like a distant relative than as a member of the dynasty of the “holy mountain Paektos”. At best, he will continue to live in Europe, while at worst his life, as with his other half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, can be short.

Accelerating efforts to strengthen Kim Jong Un’s leadership credentials seems like a sensible strategy for the Pyongyang regime. A pandemic, no one knows how much it has affected North Korea, could jeopardize the country’s leadership. Kim Jong Un’s children are too young to succeed if there is a power vacuum and the supreme leader’s younger sister appears to be the only option.

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