Kim Jong Un Mystery Takes New Twist: His Relative, 40 Years in Waiting Dark Horse, Emerges as Possible Successor!

Amid the news of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's health status still being unclear, his uncle Kim Pyong Il, has come into the picture after staying away for 40 years. Reports suggest that, his uncle had been considered a possible successor to the throne after Kim Jong Un's health status went viral.

As per a Bloomberg report, Kim Pyong Il, 65, is the last known surviving son of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung. He spent about four decades overseas in Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic before returning to Pyongyang last year.

Since the beginning, Kim Pyong Il has been sidelined and never given a serious challenge for leadership. But now chances could be open for him because he has Kim blood and he is a man.

"The problem is that a Kim Yo Jong-led North Korea is unlikely to be sustainable. To avoid this, some in the leadership would try to bring back Kim Pyong Il, who's now under house arrest, to the center of the power," said Thae Yong Ho, who was North Korea's deputy ambassador to the U.K.

North Korea has often exiled people who fall out of favor, by sending them aboard in attempts to erase their influence. Despite sending them away, they are also provided with a financial help that keeps them dependent on Pyongyang's rulers, Bloomberg further reported.