N. Korean leader’s aunt ill: reports

Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is reportedly ill and has checked into a hospital in Singapore.

Various sources and news media in China and Japan reported that Kim may be in seriously poor health as she has not appeared at events or meetings in the communist state for more than a month.

Kim, a secretary of the Worker’s Party, has been playing a key role in mentoring her nephew since he took control of North Korea in December 2011 after his father Kim Jong-il passed away.

It has been reported that Kim has been ill since early 2000 due to alcoholism and depression, with sources citing factors such as the death of her daughter by suicide, and troubled relations with her husband Jang Sung-taek, who is the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission.

South Korean government officials could not verify the claims.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)