What is happening in Pyongyang? Where is Kim Jong Un?

The North Korean has not been seen in public for over five weeks, and theories are starting to arise.

It seems unlikely that Kim is ill – there are rumours that he fractured his ankles. So the obvious reason is that he has been out of the spotlight due to politics.

“If Kim Jong-un has indeed been shunted aside, then whoever has replaced him has not moved into the limelight. Nobody has taken his place in visits to factories and military units — these visits appear simply to have stopped.”

According to senior defectors, whilst Kim Jong-un has been a public figurehead, the real power has been exercised by the shadowy Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) of the Korean Workers Party.

Since China reduced monetary aid to North Korea, the country has been struggling to locate a replacement. As North Koreans become more aware of the riches of China and South Korea, they are now “demanding more goodies that the regime is struggling to provide”.

Three high ranking officials also visited the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. They managed to “resume the inter-Korean dialogue that has been suspended for years”.

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