North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un may be dead as multiple sources are claiming that he passed away on Saturday night.

The U.K. Express reported that while some sources are saying that Kim is dead, others are saying that the 36 year-old is in a vegetative state with no hope of being resuscitated after a botched heart surgery. Given how secretive North Korea is about everything, it is difficult to verify reports of this kind until an official statement is made by the state.

Vice director of HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television Shijian Xingzou, who claims to be the niece of the Chinese foreign minister, claimed that a “very solid source” has told her Kim was dead. Other reports state that a Chinese medical team has been rushed to Pyongyang to examine Kim.

Kim has not been seen in public in two weeks, and The Sun reported that speculation that something was wrong with his health grew when he did not appear at a celebration to mark the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung. NBC News had tweeted at the time that Kim was “brain dead,” but this tweet was later deleted “out of an abundance of caution.”

“My understanding is that he had been struggling (with cardiovascular problems) since last August but it worsened after repeated visits to Mount Paektu,” a source told Daily NK, referring to North Korea’s sacred mountain.

Since Kim has not named a successor, his death could lead to a massive power struggle in the rogue nation. One person who could seize control is Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jong, who has been steadily rising up the ranks since representing North Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She has long been rumored to be the brains behind her brother’s image both at home and abroad.

Last month, Kim Yo-jong made her first ever public statement when she blasted South Korea as a “frightened dog barking” after it protested against a live-fire military exercise by the North. She also released another statement praising American President Donald Trump for sending a letter to her brother offering help in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe.

We will update you further as this story develops.

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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