WHO IS NEXT IN LINE
KIM Jong-un's uncle may be on the verge of taking charge of North Korea.
Kim has rarely been seen in public this year, with rumors circulating in April that he was in a “vegetative state” after a bungled heart operation.
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Here is more on the turbulent developments.
Who is Kim Pyong Il and how old is he?
Kim Pyong Il, 65, is the last known surviving son of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung, who is Jong-un’s grandfather.
After losing out in the 1970s to his half-brother, Kim Jong Il - who ended up running the country from 1994 to 2011 - Kim Pyong Il spent about four decades overseas in diplomatic posts.
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Some North Korea experts say he could end up taking over from Jong Un, who has never named a successor.
How is he related to Kim Jong-un?
Kim Pyong Il is Kim's uncle.
Will he take over from Kim Jong-un?
While some people believe Kim's uncle has taken over, others say that Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong, 33, will become North Korean leader.
South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), reported that Kim will gradually transfer authority to his sister “to ease stress," despite his young age.
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Is Kim Jong-un in a coma?
Pictures emerged recently showing Kim attending a government meeting – yet Reuters said it could not “independently verify” the images as they were released by the secretive country.
Speculation in April that Kim had died or was in a vegetative state were quickly quashed when the dictator turned up at the opening of a fertilizer factory 30 miles north of capital Pyongyang.
It has been claimed that the North Korea strongman has been in a coma for months.
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Chang Song-min, a former aide to ex-South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, claims pictures of Kim in North Korean media in recent months were fake.
Speaking with local media, Chang Song-min said: “I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended.”
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What were the rumors about him being dead?
Rumors have been swirling that Kim might be severely ill or dead.
There have also been reports that his low profile this year is down to Kim shielding himself during the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19.