There could soon be a fight for control in North Korea, as the claim to power could leave a 13-year-old girl in charge of the nation, in turn making her the youngest nuclear commander in all of history.
Kim Jong Un has held power in North Korea for over a decade and a half now, taking charge immediately after his father, Kim Jong Il, passed away.
While he's only 42-years-old – comparatively a spring chicken when it comes to global leaders – he's clearly already thinking about the line of succession, especially as there appears to be a rivalry cropping up between two particular family members.
Many presumed that Kim Yo Jong, his younger sister, would take over the reigns if the opportunity arose, yet it appears that another unexpected player is set to be officially announced as the heir in the near future.
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As reported by the BBC, Kim Ju-ae – the current leader's 13-year-old daughter and his only child – is expected to be named as the heiress to North Korean leadership, being made second in command in the process.
The decision was revealed by South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), noting that they took a "range of circumstances" into account before making this decision, including her increasingly prominent appearances at various official events.
Later this month is the North Korean party congress, an event that is held every five years, and her attendance at this significant meeting will be considered the unofficial confirmation of her ascendance to power.
"As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor," explains lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen.
If power were to pass to her, even within the next decade and beyond, she would immediately become history's youngest nuclear commander by quite a considerable margin — which could be a rather frightening prospect for many of the nation's rivals.
The United States is seemingly edging already closer to nuclear war amid conflicts with Russia and China, yet a new player in the field could provide her own motivations for attack, potentially bringing the 'doomsday plane' and top secret evacuation bunkers into play in the worst case scenario.