North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is reportedly furious that his sister, Kim Yo Jong, is seen as being his “de facto second-in-command,” after South Korea’s spy agency claimed that he had ceded some of his power to her.
According to South Korean news agency Chosun Ilbo, Kim Yo Jong, who has not been publicly spotted since July 27, could by staying out of the spotlight to counter the report that she has gained power after being “aggressively visible since March.”
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting last week that "Currently, Kim Yo-jong, the first vice department director of the Workers' Party Central Committee, is steering overall state affairs based on the delegation," and that the move is intended to "relieve [Kim Jong Un's] stress from his reign and avert culpability in the event of policy failure.”
The agency noted that "Chairman Kim Jong-un is still maintaining his absolute authority, but some of it has been handed over little by little.”
North Korea expert Professor Nam Sung-wook told the news outlet that “In the past, anyone was deprived of their position the moment they were described as the number two person in the North.”
“There must be a semblance of checks and balances, although Kim Yo Jong is a family member,” he added, saying that it is possible that she chose to lie low.