(FreedomBeacon.com)- As North Korea battles its worst-ever economic crisis and rising poverty, communist dictator Kim Jong Un has appointed a new second-in-command. It comes after a new position in the Workers’ Party of Korea was established in January.
Reports suggest that recently that position was filled…but nobody really knows who has taken the job yet.
CNN claims to have seen excerpts of government documents revealed that the country now has a “number two” leader. The outlet claims that experts believe the position is likely to have been filled either by Kim Tok Hun or Jo Yong Won, two North Korean government officials who already have high-ranking positions. Jo, for instance, is one of the longest-serving and most trusted aides to Kim Jong Un. He is the secretary of the party’s central committee and is regularly seen alongside Kim Jong Un during public appearances.
Kim Tok Hun, meanwhile, is the North Korean government premier. He has been in the position since August of last year.
Some analysts have reportedly suggested that the two government officials would be the only people considered to take on the new role. And while Kim Yo Jong, Kim John Un’s sister, is effectively the second-most powerful person in the country, she technically has no official role within the Workers’ Party.
It would be easy to speculate that the new role was created in response to recent reports of Kim’s health declining, but CNN’s sources say that there is nothing to indicate that the role was created with the nation’s leader’s health in mind.
Instead, the decision may simply be a result of easing the leader’s workload. Last year, Kim unloaded some of his “generate state affairs” duties to his sister, so the new role may well be an extension of those efforts to reduce his workload.
In January, Kim also changed his title, becoming the general secretary of the Workers’ Party – a title previously held by his father, Kim Jong Il.
It is unclear when, or if, any more information about the announcement will be made available to other world governments.
