"Kim Jong-un's Succession Strategy Uncovered: A Ruthless Successor Set to Eliminate Rivals in Just Hours"

KIM Jong-un’s successor will begin executing enemies within hours of taking the reins of North Korea, insiders claim.

The despot is understood to be teeing up his merciless younger sister to continue his in only a matter of years.

Kim Yo-jong, pictured in 2019, is known for her ruthless reputationCredit: AP Yo-jong helps her brother Kim Jong-un sign a statement in 2018Credit: AP

Powerful Kim Yo-jong , 38, would rule the hermit kingdom with an iron fist until Kim Ju-ae, 13, was ready to take charge, experts say.

, 42, is – but his sister is said to be even more ruthless.

Insiders reveal she was influenced by their father Kim Jong-il’s most hardcore aides and advisors.

For them, the firing squad was deemed a “standard response” in managing stooges and maintaining unwavering obedience.

One North Korea source said: “These guys never met a firing squad they didn’t like.”

Michael Madden, director and founder of NK Leadership Watch, said Yo-jong has been groomed to be Kim’s immediate successor – and would eventually hand over power to his daughter, Kim Ju-ae.

The veteran North Korea watcher warned she will undoubtedly begin her reign of terror as she means to go on.

“If she assumes power she might have to resort to killing a chicken to scare the monkeys,” Madden told The Sun.

“Kim Yo-jong’s first day in power will be like going into prison. She will have to stab the biggest guy she can find.”

since driving herself onto the international radar more than a decade ago.

Her notorious reputation precedes her – having insulted her South Korean counterpart and other foreign officials on the world stage on more than one occasion.

The North Korean elite is a high-ranking member of the rogue nation’s ruling Workers’ Party – with two senior positions under her belt.

Aside from her official roles, Yo-jong remains a close confidant of her brother, managing his public appearances.

The only daughter of Jong-il’s five children, Yo-jong is the only sibling to have manufactured such a huge political influencer in her brother’s regime.

I pity the fool that defies or argues back to Yo-jong as she assumes leadership

Whisperings inside North Korea even suggest the elite temporarily replaced Kim in 2014 during an unexplained month-long perdio where he did not appear in public.

But none of this is coincidence – instead all part of a well-crafted plot to ensure she is ready to take over at any moment, especially given well-known rumours about Kim’s ill-health.

The tyrant – whose weight has dramatically fluctuated over recent years – wants to make sure his family’s dynasty is “coup-proof”, and rules for generations to come.

His grandfather Kim Il-sung founded North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea/ DPRK) in 1948, ruling until his death in 1994 when his son – Kim’s father – took over as supreme leader.

Kim assumed the top job when his father died in 2011 – and is believed to be preparing his daughter Kim Ju-ae to one day lead.

But in the interim, it will be Yo-jong at the helm if Kim suffers an early death or has to step aside.

Kim Jong-un with his sister Kim Yo-jong in February 2018Credit: EPA Yo-jong watches over as Kim signs the visitor’s book at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia in 2023Credit: AP

Madden said: “The most immediate successor to Kim is his sister Kim Yo-jong.

“She is the only North Korean core elite with the background, as a granddaughter of Kim Il-sung, and experience to assume the supreme leadership in the event of a contingency.

“She is tied to several senior personnel appointments across the regime–in the party, state and army.”

The North Korea expert said as soon as she assumes leadership, she will weed out anyone she deems as unloyal or a liability.

He added: “Yo-jong will certainly be aggressive and cutthroat with North Korean elites as she consolidates her authority and demands complaince with her policy priorities.

“There is already a certain degree of intimidation she has on DPRK officials, which we have seen in public.

“If we imagine the ‘morning after’, Yo-jong will move quickly to consolidate her authority.

“If things get to this point, she’d most likely have a list of top officials ready for the chop and cashier them through demotions, dismissals, even executions, without causing too much chaos and instability to the system.

“I pity the fool that defies or argues back to Yo-jong as she assumes leadership.”

Kim and his daughter Ju-ae attend the launch ceremony of a destroyer named Kang Kon at the Rajin shipyard in Rason, June 2025Credit: EPA The father and daughter duo inspected a test-firing of ballistic missiles from an undisclosed location in North Korea last monthCredit: AP

Madden explained that Yo-jong’s rule would likely be transitional – as Kim appears to be centering his contingency plans around his daughter, Ju-ae.

Kim has bred his teenage daughter to become a dictator, and in recent years has flanked her father at a number of high-profile events.

South Korean spies have long warned that Ju-ae is the tyrant’s heir apparent – but she is yet to be officially designated as his successor.

But the home-schooled youngster, the eldest child of Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju, accompanying her famed father on a state visit to China last year was the strongest indication yet.

Ju-ae ruffled feathers when she made her first public appearance in November 2022 at a missile launch – and has since be snapped at several curated events, often is strikingly similar outfits to her dad.

Should Ju-ae one day take control of North Korea, she would become the first female leader in its dynastic history.

Madden said: “The most important detail is that Yo-jong would be a transitional leader and regent until Ju-ae was prepared to assume power.

“If Ju-ae has been selected as successor, but is not old enough to assume the big chair then, as regent, Yo-jong has an obligation to make sure her niece assume the supreme leadership over the medium term.

Although Kim is just 38, Madden believes the hermit kingdom’s hierarchy could look very different within the next decade or so.

He added: “We probably have another five years before the next phase of succession happens, and probably looking at the 2030s before it might publicly take shape.”