North Korean President Kim Jong-un is in coma, claimed Chang Song-min, the former aide to South Korea’s late President Kim Dae-jung.
The claim was made by Chang Song-min, the former aide to Kim Dae-jung after Kim Jong-un delegated some powers to his sister, Kim Yo Jong.
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Kim Jong-un has given Kim Yo Jong a partial authority to oversee “general state affairs” in order to ease the North Korean leader’s workload, according to South Korean intelligence.
“I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended,” Chang Song-min told South Korean media.
“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 added.
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Recently, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of North Korea announced that Kim Jong-un would still “exert absolute power” but will transfer his authority to Kim Yo-jong “to ease stress”.
The NIS reportedly told the country’s lawmakers that Kim Jong-un’s decision to transfer more power to his younger sister further bolstered the argument that she is now the country’s “de-facto second in command”.
Speculation about dictator Kim’s health was rampant earlier this year after the North Korean leader, who historically has kept a grueling schedule filled with public appearances, disappeared from the public eye for many a time.
Also read: Kim Jong Un makes public appearance amid death rumours
However, the death rumours were quashed when he was seen at a fertiliser factory’s opening ceremony in Suchon, which is 30 miles north of Pyongyang, the country’s capital.