Kim Yo-jong, right, with her brother North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo / AP
Kim Yo-jong, right, with her brother North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo / AP
Fears are growing that Kim Jong-un's sister could have been "purged" by her paranoid dictator brother, after she hasn't been seen in public for more than a month.
Kim Yo-jong was last seen on July 27, at the height of rumours she was gearing up to take over the leadership from her older brother.
Her last appearance was standing beside her 36-year-old brother, handing out commemorative pistols to military leaders on the 67th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War.
But the speculation that she was about to seize power from her reportedly sick brother appears to never have come to fruition.
Instead, experts say Kim Yo-jong could be "purged" by Kim Jong-un.
However, there could be another explanation as to why Kim Yo-jong has avoided the public eye since July.
Experts believe she could be laying low to quieten outside speculation she was making a move on her brother's job.
"In the past, anyone was deprived of their position the moment they were described as the number two person in the North," Professor Nam Sung-wook of Korea University told South Korea news site Chosun Ilbo.
"There must be a semblance of checks and balances, although Kim Yo-jong is a family member."
Kim Yo-jong, right, with her brother North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo / AP
CNN reported last week her absence "is unusual, but could be explained by mundane reasons like illness or having other business to attend to".
Kim Yo-jong simply being busy could be the most likely explanation, with North Korean sources revealing this week she had been helping the country battle coronavirus.
A source described Kim Yo-jong as "the commander in chief of all quarantine efforts" and said she was behind the country's strict coronavirus lockdown.
"All international borders remain closed. Supplies coming to Nampo seaport remain suspended as there are no ships sailing in from China's Dalian port where Covid-19 cases were detected. Only Covid-19-related shipments are being allowed through Sinuiju-Dandong border," a North Korean source told Voice of America.
Inside the North Korean capital Pyongyang, it appears to be business as usual.
Thousands of people attended a celebration on August 28 to mark North Korea's Youth Day.
The Pyongnang branch of the World Health Organisation (WHO) still denies there's been a single case of coronavirus in the hermit nation.
The head of the Pyongyang office earlier told Voice of America every suspected case of coronavirus had so far tested negative.
"On Covid-19 response, WHO has been informed by the Ministry of Public Health ... that as of August 20, 2767 people have been tested ... in the country and all have tested negative," the Pyongyang WHO spokesman said.
