Kim Yo Jong could be a more 'tyrannical' dictator than brother and 'credible nuclear threat' to U.S., experts say

For months, rumours that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un has become seriously ill and is in a coma have swirled amid public media reports.

However, the dictator’s rumored bad health may be a sign of worse things to come for the Hermit Kingdom, experts warn, because it positions his sister, Kim Yo Jong, as next in line to rule — and she may be even more tyrannical than her brother.

Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, told the New York Post that he doesn’t believe the speculation around Kim Jong-un’s health, calling the claim a “rehashing of a false assertion.”

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However, it’s undeniable that his sister Kim Yo Jong is being publicly groomed to take over, if or when her brother becomes incapacitated, he said.

“Clearly there has been a contingency plan rolled out since early March to bolster Kim Yo Jong’s credentials and have her, if and when necessary, seize the reins of power,” he said. Lee described Kim Yo Jong as “ambitious and smart” and said that she casts “a softer feminine glow on the brutish facade of her regime.”

Should she take over though, she could prove to be more ruthless than her brother, father or grandfather, due to the nature of the regime.

“The way for her to build up her credibility and net worth; that is, the way for her to get respect, is not to play nice but be a cruel dictator to her people and a credible nuclear threat to the US,” he said.

Retired U.S. army colonel David Maxwell helped create the Pentagon’s 1999 contingency plan with South Korea for the collapse of the North’s regime and he agrees with Lee, citing the “reputation and history” of Kim Yo Jong’s family.

“I haven’t seen any evidence, any indication of how she might rule, but my speculation … is that she would rule with an iron fist,” the ex-colonel told the Mirror .

Victor Cha, who was a director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council during the administration of former President George W. Bush, predicted that Kim Yo Jong’s regime would be marked by missile launches and a government purge to ensure people remain loyal to her. She would also be a “hard-liner” with South Korea and the U.S.

Speculation around Kim Jong-Un’s health has been ongoing for months, as his public appearances this year have been limited. Chang Song-min, a former aide to South Korea’s late president Kim Dae-jung, told reporters that the leader is “in a coma, but his life hasn’t ended.”

While the leader’s 33-year-old sister has been brought into the fray to serve as his “de facto second-in-command,” it isn’t clear whether she has been officially designated his successor.

“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,” Chang said.