South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has told the country’s lawmakers that Kim Jong Un’s decision to hand over more power to his younger sister further reinforces the argument that she is now the ‘de-facto second in command’. ‘s, but does not take into account the fact that Kim Jong Un is still the ultimate authority and exercises ‘absolute power’, according to the office of Representative Kim Byung-kee, who attended the NIS briefing.
Kim Yo Jong was not the only one to receive an increased portfolio, the NIS said. Other top officials in North Korea’s government and ruling Workers’ Party have taken on bigger responsibilities as part of this alleged new push to put pressure on Kim Jong Un, who has been in power for nearly nine years, but also potentially. to protect him from guilt of wrongful transgressions or incompetence.
North Korean state-run news agency KCNA acknowledged so much on Thursday when it reported that Kim would call a senior meeting with the country’s top leaders. The piece blamed the stagnant economic situation on “bad internal and external situations and unexpected manifold challenges.”
The South Korean NIS claims that Kim’s decision to delegate some responsibilities is not tied to any information regarding Kim’s health, succession plans or his grip on power.
Kim Yo Jong has been one of her brother’s most important staff and trustees for many years, so questions about Kim Jong Un’s health obviously prompted experts to focus on her.
Although she has been absent from state media for the past few weeks, Kim’s star has slowly risen this year. North Korean state media framed her as the architect of Pyongyang’s decision to blow up an office used for dialogue between the two Koreas – a bombastic statement of North Korea’s dissatisfaction with South Korea.
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