the Supreme Leader of North Korea
a country so secretive
and shut off from the rest of the world
it's known as the 'Hermit Kingdom'
chances are you've seen Kim make the news
for launching missile tests
or threatening the leaders of other countries
but recently
he made headlines for something unexpected
he went missing
for weeks no one saw him in public
and the North Korean government said
nothing about where he was
it became massive international news
and rumours started swirling
Had Kim died?
Was he in a coma?
Had he caught coronavirus?
but they weren't the only questions being asked
if Kim's no longer Supreme Leader
What happens next?
and would it be the end of North Korea as we know it?
I decided to get in touch with some people in the know
to find out more about North Korea itself
and what the future might hold
but first it's important to ask
why do we even care?
well it comes down to two words
nuclear weapons
North Korea is one of a handful of countries
that has them
& when you pair that with a leader
like Kim jong-un
who isn't afraid to threaten other countries
people like to keep an eye on
also, there's pretty much nowhere in the world
quite like North Korea
for example
the entire reason that people started to suspect
that Kim jong-un was missing
is because he didn't rock up to his grandfather's birthday
now that doesn't really seem like a big deal
but in North Korea
the birthday of Kim Il-sung
is arguably the most important day on the calendar
Kim Il-sung was the founder
and first Supreme Leader
of the country
all the way back in the 40s
when Korea was split-up
after the end of World War 2
today, he holds the title of
Eternal President president
even though he died in 1994
if that sounds strange
it's because it is
North Korea is the only country in the world
that is considered a 'necrocracy'
which is basically
when a government has a dead person in charge
obviously it's tough to make decisions
when you're dead
so his son Kim Jong-il
took over as Supreme Leader after he died
and when Kim Jong-il died
his son Kim Jong-un took over
you see
leadership in North Korea
is all about the mythology and bloodline
of the Kim family
these three
are sort of viewed as gods in North Korea
or at least that's what the
government wants the people to believe
the people worship him
because they know
that if they challenge him
they end up in a concentration camp or dead
kids were told that Kim Il-sung
knew what you were thinking
so don't think anything bad about him
so kids were afraid to even think
negative thoughts about Kim Il-sung
growing up
the North Korean people
have been essentially brainwashed
to believe that
the regime is the source of all wisdom
and success
painting the Kim family as gods
is one of the reasons why Kim Jong-un
can just disappear
say he is sick
or has just had an operation
experts reckon the North Korean government
would rather keep their citizens in the dark
than make him look weak or vulnerable
this mythology and worship
is just one of the ways
that North Korea keeps its citizens
under extreme control
North Korea is a brutal dictatorship
with the world's worst human rights record
there's no foreign media
they can't even watch mainland Chinese TV
all they hear is this propaganda day after day
they're able to use surveillance
to track what you're doing
informants to tell people
what you're up to
through spies and so forth
you're not allowed to use the Internet
no one is allowed out
the only people that are allowed out
are government officials
and then they are closely watched
so, if Kim jong-un was no longer Supreme Leader
would it make life better for the
people of North Korea
let's take a look at who may be next in line
Kim Jong-un does have children
but apparently they're too young
to be in the mix right now
he also has two older brothers
but they were already passed over for the top job
when Kim Jong-il died
as for what the future might hold for these two
Kim Jong-nam was actually assassinated
in Malaysia in 2017
and Kim Jong-chul
apparently couldn't really care less about politics
he's a real guitar fan
he's a bit of a rocker
he's popped up a few times over the years in London
going to Eric Clapton concerts
So, who does that leave?
one of the names that's been
mentioned is Kim Jong-un's uncle
Kim Pyong-il
most of his career
he's been out and about as a diplomat
for North Korea
he's never really been seen as a successor
he was passed over before
and then exiled to Europe
for diplomatic posts
some people consider him a 'dark horse'
if you want to go the family route
I think if he was really meant for the job
he would have gotten it before
the other option
and one experts agree is the most likely
is Kim Jong-un's younger sister
Kim Yo-jong
she's already in power
she's number two in the political Olympus of
North Korea
she's from what I understand
extremely ambitious
and somewhat ruthless
she's being groomed for something
because she's been at his side for the last few years
but the problem is
outsiders don't know whether the North Koreans
are cool with a female leader
they don't seem to be the most progressive types
so they might still want a male leader
if Kim Jong-un's
uncle or sister became the new Supreme Leader
would we see a less aggressive North Korea
that's more likely to cooperate with the outside world?
according to the experts
probably not
I think it would be pretty much
business as usual
in order to get to the top
you have to be ruthless
in order to stay in the top
you have to be even more ruthless
you know
Kim Jong-un had
500 or so of his distant relatives
and key figures executed
when he came to power
so I think that there's no guarantee
that a change of leadership would necessarily
bring a degree of moderation or reform
to the system in North Korea
there is another option that experts see as a possibility
and that's the military actually seizing control
from the Kim family
and that potentially could
emerge as a very dangerous scenario
where you actually have internal unrest
even civil war
with the North Korean people caught in in the middle
however some experts say
a military coup and civil war
is probably unlikely
both the senior party officials
and military top brass
live a very comfortable life
in North Korea
they understand any instability
any regime change
would put them in danger
let's just say the military does find a way
to take over
and keep North Korea together
you may think that the Kim family losing control would be a good thing
but again it's not that simple
who's to say that some general
power-hungry general in the North Korean military
is any better
or wants to change the country any more
they might even be more hawkish
and want to do more missile tests
crank up the nuclear program again
so where does this leave us?
after weeks of intense debate and rumours
about the future of the country
in true North Korean fashion
Kim Jong-un randomly reappeared
at the opening of a fertiliser factory
with a bit of a limp
and no explanation as to where he'd been
for now at least
it looks like Kim's position as Supreme Leader is safe
but with no clear successor
the future of North Korea
is still a big question mark
so for Australia
I guess the hope would be
that whether it's the Kim's
or the military or whoever keeps running the country
that they gradually make reforms
they gradually open the door a bit
and try and normalise North Korea
because otherwise it will always remain
as this potential flashpoint
in the north-east Asia region