Kim Jong-un’s pop-star ex ‘takes sister’s place in power struggle and wife mysteriously vanishes’
KIM Jong-un’s pop-star ex is rumored to have taken the place of his formidable sister Kim Yo-jong.
The younger sister of the North Korean supreme leader is thought to have propelled to political heights too quickly for some top officials’ liking.
Kim’s sister looks to have been snubbed after she was touted to take over from the dictator[/caption]It comes as Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, 31, has not been seen in public since January – with some believing she may have given birth to the couple’s fourth child.
Moranbong Band frontwoman Hyong Song-wol, 43, is said to have enjoyed a brief relationship with the dictator, now 36, more than ten years ago after he returned from studying in Switzerland, but his dad din’t approve and the match was dissolved.
But now she is back on the scene, and appears to be performing duties previously carried out by Ms Kim, 32.
On October 10 the Korean People’s Army marched through Pyongyang in a show of military might – but it was singer Hyong who was seen escorting dignitaries to their seats and handling flowers offered to Kim, a role previously reserved for Kim Yo-jong.
Meanwhile Ms Kim was seated with lesser officials, reports The Times.
Hyong’s all-girl pop group, Moranbong Band were put together by the supreme leader himself and have enjoyed chart success with hits including Excellent Horse-Like Lady, I Love Pyongyang and She is a Discharged Soldier.
The glamorous former girlfriend of Kim’s is also a member of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea – chaired by the man himself.
Her public appearances have become more frequent as Ms Kim appears to have disappeared from North Korean political life after she was touted to take over from her brother when he was rumoured to have fallen seriously ill or even died.
Ms Kim had previously appeared at a number of international events between 2018 and 2019, including the 2018 Winter Olympics and a failed summit with Donald Trump the following year.
But when her brother failed to show his face at his late grandad’s birthday celebrations in April – the most important day in the North Korean calender – rumours swirled suggesting the 32-year-old would take his place.
The supreme leader is believed to have three children, the youngest of whom is around ten-years-old, meaning he would be an inappropriate choice if anything were to happen to his formidable father.
But she has since dropped out of the public eye after Rachel Minyoung Lee, a former North Korea analyst for the US government suggested media were insinuating there could be “more” to her role than just the leader’s sister earlier this year.
She was even described by some outlets as “Kim’s number two”.
Bizarrely, the woman who has allegedly usurped her, Hyong Song-Wol was rumoured to have been executed by firing squad in 2013 after a number of sex tapes of herself and other singers and dancers fell into circulation.
But she popped up the following year to give a speech at the national creative workers rally.
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She told the crowd she would “stoke up the flame for art and creative work” in North Korea.
Hyong is thought to be married to a high-ranking official in the country, and the couple have one child.
However, the relationship is plagued by rumours Kim and Hyong are still secretly seeing eachother.
Kim’s wife, pictured, hasn’t been seen in months and some think she may have given birth to another child[/caption]