2020 has really been crazy for a number of reasons and it seems about time to add one more thing to the pot. And that just so happens to be whatever is happening with Kim Jong Un right now.
North Korea has always been pretty secretive and this time is no exception. He was reportedly in the hospital for unknown circumstances, but I have heard illness, a heart disease, and a myriad of other things. So no one really knows what is going on with the Supreme Leader of North Korea. However, as of writing this, he has been released from the hospital and after weeks he has made his first public appearance.
He was pictured standing next to other public officials and his sister, Kim Yo Jong. The capital has never declared who would take leadership if something were to happen to Kim Jong-Un but many people believe she would end up taking the reins for North Korea.
This is really interesting considering that I did not know much about his family until the rumors of his death started to spread in mid-April. I have never really done much research into the Kim family so I am not really surprised that I did not know he had a sister but apparently it was pretty common for most people to not know he had a sister. But after doing more research I believe she is a force to be reckoned with.
She is currently serving as the First Deputy Director and de facto leader of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea since 2014. She has been called the “rising star of Korean politics” and at a mere 32 years old, though no one can confirm nor deny this, I would imagine she is very powerful in Korea and has earned that title. People have also suspected that Kim Jong Un has three kids, again, no one knows for sure, and many think that one of his kids would potentially take over.
No matter who takes over as the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim has built up an extremely large number of nuclear and ballistic missiles and people are starting to get nervous as to who will become the head of the country and have that new found control over a large number of very dangerous weapons.
Personally, I think that there is a lot we don’t know when it comes to North Korea and therefore my opinion on this is kind of vague. I cannot play God and tell him to die or not to die or anything like that but I do think that we are in really uncertain times. We can never be too careful about following our news and the best advice I have is to just read up as much as you can for something like this, especially considering the unknowns in this.
Lydia Mardin can be contacted at
Lydia.Mardin@ksc.keene.edu
