"Possibility Of Bloodshed... North Korea's Kim Juae May Face Power Struggle With Aunt Kim Yojong"

"Kim Yojong Will Not Hesitate if She Sees an Opportunity"
The Period After Kim Jongun's Death Is Key

Kim Yojong illustration. The Asia Business Daily database

There is analysis suggesting that if North Korean leader Kim Jongun were to officially appoint his daughter Kim Juae as his successor, she could end up locked in an intense power struggle with her aunt, Kim Yojong, a vice department director of the Workers' Party.

On the 14th (local time), Ra Jongil, distinguished professor at Dongguk University and former First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service as well as former ambassador to the United Kingdom and Japan, said in an interview with the British daily The Telegraph, "If Kim Juae succeeds her father, she could face a strong challenge from her ambitious and ruthless aunt, Kim Yojong."

Professor Ra predicted that Kim Yojong would not hesitate if she sees an opportunity to become the supreme leader, saying, "She has no reason to suppress her political ambitions. The likelihood of a power struggle breaking out is high."

The Telegraph likewise analyzed that, should Kim Jongun die or find himself in a situation where he is unable to rule, there is a high possibility that Kim Yojong would attempt to seize power. It also referred to Kim Jongun's previous "purges," including the 2017 assassination of his half-brother Kim Jongnam and the 2013 execution of his uncle Jang Songthaek, and assessed that a bloody conflict could in the future erupt between Kim Juae and Kim Yojong as well.

The Telegraph described Kim Yojong as "enjoying considerable political and military support within the Workers' Party and the second most powerful figure in North Korea."

Regarding Kim Juae, it cited a report published last December by 38 North, a North Korea-focused outlet run by the U.S. think tank the Stimson Center, saying, "She is young and lacks an established base of support, so it would be practically difficult to consider her as a successor within the next 5 to 15 years."

The paper went on to report that speculation over Kim Jongun's health issues is being mentioned as the background to why he is trying to designate a successor at the relatively young age of 42.