The formerly powerful aunt of Kim Jong-un is seriously ill in hospital four years after she disappeared from public view when her husband was executed by firing squad for treason.
Kim Kyong-hui is said to be undergoing hospital treatment near the North Korean capital Pyongyang for a number of illnesses including cancer, dementia, depression and heart disease.
The 71-year-old, once a trusted part of Kim Jong-un’s inner circle, has been absent from public events since 2013 when the dictator put her husband Jang Song-thaek to death on charges of plotting to overthrow the regime.
Kim Kyong-hui (right), the formerly powerful aunt of Kim Jong-un (left), is seriously ill in hospital four years after she disappeared from public view when her husband was executed for treason. The dictator and Kim Kyong-hui are pictured in early 2013
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un (second row right) rides on an escalator with his aunt Kim Kyong Hui (bottom) in 2011. Her husband Jang Song Thaek (second man behind Kim Jong Un) was executed in 2013
Mrs Kim is the sister of Kim Jong-il, the country’s former dictator and Kim Jong-un’s father.
Jang, 67, was once Kim Jong-un’s political mentor described as the second most powerful figure in North Korea.
But the tyrant had him executed on an array of charges, including treason and corruption in late 2013. He is understood to have been killed by firing squad, despite initial reports suggesting he had been fed to dogs.
Since then, there have been numerous reports that Mrs Kimhas suffered ill health.
And in November 2014, it was even reported Ms Kim had died from a stroke during an impassioned argument about her husband’s execution.
She was a close aide to her brother for decades, assuming senior positions in the party and becoming a four-star general in 2010.
Mrs Kim is the sister of Kim Jong-il, the country’s former dictator and Kim Jong-un’s father
The 71-year-old (centre in 2010), once a trusted part of Kim Jong-un’s inner circle, has been absent from public events since 2013 when the dictator put her husband Jang Song-thaek to death on charges of plotting to overthrow the regime
The stroke claims were made by Kang Myung-do, a defector who was son-in-law to North Korea’s ex-Prime Minister, Kang Sun San.
Korean media also reported she had taken her own life five days after her husband’s killing.
Until 2013, Mre Kim was often the only female face on official photographs of ranks of generals and party leaders, was tasked with transforming her nephew into a figurehead with a reputation for strong military tactics who is able to handle an international crisis.
Jang Song Thaek and Kim Kyong Hui met at university and married in 1972.
They have no surviving children, according to the South Korean government-run Information Centre on North Korea.
Their only child, a daughter, killed herself in 2006 at the age of 29 while studying in Paris, according to South Korean media.
While Ms Kim disappeared from public view for six years after 2003, she re-emerged to a more powerful role, being made a four-star general in 2010.
She also owned the only burger restaurant in Pyongyang, where the menu offers ‘minced meat and bread’ rather than using the American word ‘burger’.