The U.S. Intelligence community (IC) is stepping up its collection of information on Kim Yo Jong, sister to North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un and the reported family member most likely to succeed him should he die.
Nikkei Asian Review spoke to a former longtime CIA official who said the U.S. IC would collect additional information on Kim Yo Jong after speculation her brother is ill or dead – none of which has been confirmed.
“The CIA is responsible for collecting files on the Kim family. It is not just factual information but also on each individual’s behavior,” Bruce Klingner, a 20-year veteran of the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency who now works for The Heritage Foundation, told the Review. He added that the CIA collected information such as prescription drug history, possible drug abuse, temperament, and the potential for impetuous action.
“The CIA will be looking at how much influence Kim Yo Jong has and how officials are deferring to her,” he added.
Klingner told the outlet that the U.S. was able to glean information on Kim Yo Jong’s leadership standing within North Korea after her appearance at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “Officials who were more senior than her in rank were clearly deferring to her,” Klingner said.
Still, gaining information on Kim Yo Jong will not be easy, as North Korea is an isolated nation.
“When I shifted from covering the Soviet Union to North Korea, the Soviets looked like an open book compared to Pyongyang,” Klingner told the Review.
Last week, media outlets began to report that Kim Jong Un was either suspected to be dead or gravely ill. CNN was the first to report, saying the “US is monitoring intelligence that suggests North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, is in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery, according to a US official with direct knowledge.”
“A second source familiar with the intelligence told CNN that the US has been closely monitoring reports on Kim’s health,” the outlet continued. “Kim recently missed the celebration of his grandfather’s birthday on April 15, which raised speculation about his well-being. He had been seen four days before that at a government meeting.”
Those reports have since been walked back but speculation as to the dictator’s health and location have continued to swirl. Japanese media reported over the weekend that Kim Jong Un was in a “vegetative state,” yet on Monday, South Korea said he was “alive and well.”
During his coronavirus press briefing on Monday, President Donald Trump hinted that he knew what was going on with Kim Jong Un, telling reporters that he had “a very good idea” on how the dictator was doing.
“I hope he’s fine, I do know how he’s doing relatively speaking,” Trump said, as reported by The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra. “You will probably be hearing in the not too distant future.”
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