North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong-un handing more power to sister because he is ‘stressed’, claims spy agency
NORTH Korea's ruler Kim Jong-un has handed another set of new powers to his sister because he is stressed, a spy agency has claimed.
Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong has been rising through the ranks of the North Korean elite and is now seen by many as her brother's closest ally.
South Korea's spy agency the National Intelligence Service said the move has taken place because he is dealing with "high stress levels".
Kim, 36, has reportedly handed over powers which allow his sister, 33, to manage relations with South Korea and US.
Ha Tae-kyung, from South Korea's main opposition the United Future Party, briefed reporters after a meeting with the NIS.
Mr Ha said spies had noticed an increasing "delegation of power" by Kim to his younger sister, reports .
Spooks denied it was linked to ongoing rumours of the tyrant's poor health, and said it does not mean Kim has picked her as his successor to rule.
Mr Ha added: "Kim Jong-un still exerts absolute power, but in comparison to the past, some of the authority has been transferred little by little."
He blamed "high stress levels" for the power shift, and also said it is so Kim can distance himself from any of the regime's failures.
Kim's sister is not the only one to receive new powers either - as the dictator handed out new jobs to other senior regime figures.
However, the apparent promotion comes as she has reportedly been missing from two high level meeting this month.
The back-to-back absences on August 13 and August 19 sparked speculation she may have fallen out of favour, reports .
Martin Weiser, an independent analyst who studies North Korean media, said before the announcement that her absence pointed to a "major coming shift".
Cheong Seong-Chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, added: "Compared to others, she enjoys relative freedom from technicalities.
"She could have stayed out of the scene, but still could have been involved in the preparation and the meeting’s procedure somehow."
Kim Yo-jong's last appearance alongside the secretive kingdom's ruling elite was at a conference in Pyongyang on July 27.
She was also seen picking up a cigarette butt dropped by Kim during an inspection visit to a chicken factory last month.
Sources claimed last month Kim's sister was behind the blowing up of the highly symbolic liaison office in the border town of Kaesong.
Who is Kim Yo-jong?
NORTH Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un's younger sister Kim Yo-jong is now seen as the “alter ego” of the tyrant.
She was was born in September 1987, the daughter of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, and is to have been close to Kim even as a child.
Both studied together in Switzerland between 1996 and 2000 with each depending on the other for company and support during those isolated years.
It is believed she went on to further her education at the Kim Il-sung Military University and then computer science at the Kim Il-sung university.
She was very rarely seen in public until 2010, when she was photographed at a party conference, but became prominent in the lead up to her father's death in 2011.
Taking on various jobs within the party, she stepped onto the world stage in 2018 when she represented North Korea and her brother at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
She is now thought to be the mastermind behind Kim’s public image, both at home and abroad - and is understood to be his closest ally in the regime.
Kim's sister is believed to have the masterminded the renewed aggressive approach to their traditionally hated neighbour South Korea.
In comments published by state media, Yo-jong slammed the South's president Moon Jae-in, who had been leading efforts to warm up relations with the North.
Kim's sister has enjoyed a speedy rise to power after emerging alongside her brother on the world stage during his summits with US President Donald Trump in 2018.
reported sources inside the secretive state have claimed she is now attempting to secure her position within the regime by taking on the South.
Her tyrannical brother reportedly wants to ensure she has enough to support to take over as a type of queen-regent should he die before his 12-year-old son comes of age.
Yo-jong reportedly needs to win some "revolutionary achievements" to get the support in North Korea's highly traditional ruling class.
A source said: "She can’t rule the country from the military like her brother, so she is expanding her authority through the Propaganda and Agitation Department, just like her father Kim Jong-il."
The source added Kim wants his sister to have "war-like" victories which can be presented to North Korean people to gain her public support.
And while there is no confirmation Kim is unwell aside from unverified rumours of ill health earlier this year, he is reportedly considering the matter of succession.
"She needs to achieve something right now that will give her support from the entire people," the source said.
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