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North Korea's silence on Kim Jong Un's health raises succession speculation

Posted at 8:19 AM, Apr 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-22 09:19:55-04

SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Jong Un's disappearance from the public eye is raising speculation about not only his health but also about who's next in line to run North Korea if anything happens to the 36-year-old leader.

Some experts say his sister and close associate Kim Yo Jong is most likely since North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family for seven decades.

But others say a collective leadership is possible because of North Korea's deeply patriarchal society.

Some believe that could eventually plunge North Korea into deeper political chaos.