North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un’s health has been questioned for the past few months and now, a former South Korean official is alleging the dictator is in a coma, according to the New York Post.
This report is coming after news that Kim Jong Un delegated some of his power to his younger sister.
Chang Song-min, a former aide to late-South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, has alleged Kim Jong Un has become seriously ill amid speculation about his limited public appearances this year.
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“I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended,” Song-min told South Korean media. The former aide added that the leader’s younger sister, Kim Yo-Jong, is preparing to help lead the country.
“A complete succession structure has not been formed, so Kim Yo-Jong is being brought to the fore as the vacuum cannot be maintained for a prolonged period,” he said.
Song-min’s claims come after South Korean spies revealed that Kim Yo-Jong now serves as his “de facto second-in-command,” though she has not been designated his successor in the event something happens to him.
In a closed-door meeting with lawmakers, the National Intelligence Service said the leader’s actions partly seek to “relieve (Kim’s) stress from his reign and avert culpability in the event of policy failure,” the Yonhap News Agency reported.
“Kim Yo-Jong, the first vice department director of the Workers’ Party Central Committee, is steering overall state affairs based on the delegation,” the agency reportedly said.
Kim has only been seen in public a handful of times this year following unconfirmed rumors suggesting he was near death back in April due to a botched heart operation.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
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