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| President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korea leader's sister Kim Yo-jong. Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
One of the biggest questions regarding the current impasse on the Korean Peninsula is the silence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in contrast to his sister Kim Yo-jong.
The powerful sister of the North Korean leader said through the nation's state media on Wednesday that she had "completely rejected" the South Korean government's proposal to send special envoys to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
It is noticeable that it was Kim Yo-jong, not Kim Jong-un, who "disapproved" of the proposal from Cheong Wa Dae to send national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and Suh Hoon, chief of the National Intelligence Service, as envoys to Pyongyang.
Not only that, her brother has been completely missing in the key statements from Pyongyang in recent weeks regarding South Korea.
It was she who openly threatened that the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean city of Gaeseong would face a "miserable destruction" before finally blowing it up on Tuesday. It was Yo-jong who also responded with "total disgust" to President Moon Jae-in's call for resuming inter-Korean cooperation during an address to mark the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Declaration, the outcome of the first inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in June 2000.
According to some latest reports, the North Korean leader's private jet was seen flying east toward Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, on Wednesday, according to flightradar24, a Swedish website showing flight data. Some speculate he went there for a visit to a test site of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
There are various speculations about the absence of Kim Jong-un in North Korea's recent hostile messages to the South.
One is that by not attacking Moon personally, Kim Jong-un is leaving the door open for further dialogue with the South Korean leader.
Moon has also been careful not to openly attack Kim Jong-un. Moon did not preside over the National Security Council meetings held in the wake of the demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office this week, and has reportedly underlined the importance of "perseverance" despite the latest unfortunate developments on the peninsula.
Rep. Thae Yong-ho of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) pointed out that the emergence of Kim Yo-jong indicates a new leadership structure in North Korea.
"Until now there was no third person between the North Korean military and Kim Jong-un, but now there is Kim Yo-jong," the former North Korean diplomat said in his Facebook. "North Korea is promoting a new command structure in which Kim Yo-jong can move the entire country with her words, having the power to move the party and the military as well as outside organizations."
There is still the speculation that Kim Jong-un may be undergoing some physical problems that prevent him from taking up his duties. The Washington Post and other international media outlets suggested that Yo-jong's increasing leadership role could mean that Kim's health may not be at its best. It follows earlier dispersions cast about the leader's health in April, when various parties proffered theories that he had been in critical condition after undergoing surgery, or had died, as he had not been in the public eye for weeks. But the rumors were proven untrue with Kim's emergence to attend the opening ceremony for a fertilizer plant on May 1.
