Kim Jong-un's 'Health Rumors' Revisited... NIS: "Kim Yo-jong Governing with Delegated Authority over State Affairs"

"Kim Jong-un Gradually Transfers Power to Close Aides"
"To Reduce Governing Stress and Avoid Responsibility"
Taeyongho: "Health Rumors Remain Unclear"

On the 19th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the 6th plenary meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea held at the Central Committee headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 20th. At the plenary meeting, it was decided that the 8th Party Congress will be held in January next year.

Reports from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) indicating that North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un is delegating some of his power to close aides and practicing delegated governance have once again drawn attention to the 'health rumors' surrounding Kim.

Starting with reports from some foreign media in April, rumors about Kim's cardiovascular procedures, brain death, and death circulated, causing a global stir for a while. However, Kim demonstrated his vitality through public activities after 20 days. Even afterward, Kim appeared to completely dispel health rumors by conducting irregular on-site inspections and presiding over the Party Politburo meetings, among other external activities.

Then, after four months, the NIS mentioned a 'delegated governance system' concerning North Korea's state management, bringing the health rumors about Kim back to the surface.

At a closed briefing of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly that day, the NIS revealed that Kim is delegating governance to some close aides, including his younger sister Kim Yo-jong, the First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea.

According to Kim Byung-gi of the Democratic Party and Ha Tae-kyung of the United Future Party, the floor leaders of the Intelligence Committee, the NIS stated, "Kim still exercises absolute power but has gradually transferred some authority compared to the past; this is not about deciding a successor or the successor's governance."

The NIS explained, "Delegated governance is not solely given to Deputy Director Kim. While she generally handles most of it and has received the most authority, in the economic sector, Park Pong-ju, Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission and Party Vice Chairman, and Kim Tok-hun, Premier of the Cabinet, have also been delegated some authority."

The known reason for the delegated governance is to 'reduce Kim's governance stress.' The NIS reported, "It is to alleviate governance stress and to avoid responsibility in case of policy failures."

Since founding the Workers' Party of Korea on October 10, 1945, and establishing the regime on September 9, 1948, North Korea has concentrated all power within the Kim family, maintaining and strengthening a three-generation dictatorship succession system. It is considered highly unusual for North Korea to disperse power after 75 years. This is why there are criticisms that governance stress reduction alone is not a convincing reason for power dispersion.

On April 20th (local time), the US CNN broadcast reported, citing a US official, that the US government is monitoring information that "Chairman Kim is in serious danger after surgery."

In May, Tae Yong-ho, a member of the United Future Party, claimed that although Kim appeared publicly, the truth behind the health rumors remains veiled. He admitted his previous error, saying, "My analysis that Kim Jong-un would be in a condition where he could hardly move by himself seems somewhat off," but left room for doubt by asking, "Was there really nothing wrong with Kim Jong-un's health during the past 20 days?"

He pointed to a vehicle appearing behind Kim in photos released by North Korea, stating, "Seeing the vehicle that Kim Jong-il used during on-site inspections after suffering a stroke in 2008 and struggling to walk even short distances reappear made my doubts not entirely disappear."

However, the NIS again denied the health rumors about Kim. Representative Ha said, "There was no mention of health issues in the NIS report." Representative Kim responded to a question about whether the power delegation was related to Kim's health by saying, "It seems not at all," and added, "It appears the authorities are verifying through various intelligence."

Meanwhile, the NIS reported, "The Yongbyon 5MW reactor is in a shutdown state, and no signs of reprocessing facility operation have been identified," and "North Korean military summer training volume has decreased by 25 to 65%." Regarding North Korea's flood damage and economic situation, it was reported, "Severe damage was caused by heavy rains in Gangwon and South and North Hwanghae provinces."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.