Back in August, we reported [1] that rumors were swirling that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong may have taken control of the regime. Soon after these rumors began to spread, Kim Yo Jong swiftly vanished from the public eye for weeks before reemerging, albeit in much smaller public roles.
Now, experts on North Korea are saying that a former pop star lover of Kim Jong Un may have usurped Kim Yo Jong as the most powerful woman in the hermit kingdom, as she has been showing up by the dictator’s side quite a bit in recent weeks.
Hyon Song Wol is the 43 year-old lead singer of the Moran sinebong Band, which has been dubbed the Spice Girls of North Korea. The Times of London [2] reported that the singer has assumed some of the duties that had been Kim Yo Jong’s over the past few weeks. This comes as Kim Jong Un’s wife, 31 year-old former singer and cheerleader Ri Sol Ju, has not been seen in public for months.
“The positive theory is that the leader grew up and is becoming more independent than before,” said South Korean journalist Wang Son-taek. “This would mean that Kim Yo Jong is now on the right track towards her own leadership-building path and is strongly supported by her brother.”
“A more negative theory is that Kim Jong Un is disappointed in his sister, whom he has relied on a lot emotionally,” he added. “This would no doubt spell psychological trouble within the Kim family.”
During the enormous North Korean military parade that was held on October 10 to honor the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, it was Hyon who was seen guiding dignitaries to their seats and grabbing flowers handed to Kim. She was also seen standing behind the dictator as he gave an emotional speech [3] to the people of North Korea.
Each of these duties would typically be performed by Kim Yo Jong, who spent the event sitting several feet away from her brother among lesser VIPs. State television cameras also only showed Kim Yo Jong’s face once during the entire three-hour-long broadcast.
Back in 2013, it was rumored that Hyon had been gunned down for selling pornographic tapes of herself and her fellow singers. However, she soon reemerged as a prominent member of Kim Jong Un’s inner circle, serving as another example of how sometimes-inaccurate rumors fill in the gaps of the lack of information that comes out of North Korea.
“Churn is … part of the political process under Kim,” said Peter Ward, a Seoul-based researcher on North Korea.
“People rise to prominence, then they disappear or become less prominent for no apparent reason, and then they may rise again,” he added. “Any or all of these women may be at different stages for no apparently important reason, and none appear likely to end up in very serious trouble anytime soon.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com [4] and is used by permission.
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