North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hasn't been in the public eye for more than a month, the longest time he's stepped away since he came into power in 2011, according to BBC News.
Amidst speculation among South Korean media outlets that the 31-year-old may have gout due to his overweight physique, Kim Jong-un's little sister Kim Yo-jong is suspected to be helping him manage the "daily affairs of leadership," according to The Guardian.
The 27-year-old's absence from the limelight has further fueled speculation that she's helping with the leadership responsibilities at hand while Kim Jong-un recovers from "physical discomfort."
"If Kim has indeed been set aside-and nobody outside Pyongyang really knows - then whoever has taken power is not seeking the limelight. The visits to factories and military units that Kim frequently conducted have not been taken over by anyone else; they have simply stopped," stated John Everard, former UK ambassador to Pyongyang.
He added, "As a woman in a very male-dominated society, the theory goes, she might be reluctant to push herself forward publicly straight away, preferring instead to bide her time while governing from behind the scenes."
Adam Cathcart, a lecturer in history at Leeds University and editor of North Korea news and analysis website Sino-NK.com, has reportedly raised questions regarding how North Korea's "system might change or operate with him."
"Without Kim Jong-un in the forefront, North Korea's government [remains] a highly conservative patriarchy run by old men for whom Moscow 1956 is the standard for dangerous liberalism. Regardless of who is in charge, it will keep the world on its toes - one thing that the state does extremely well," stated Cathcart.
Despite theories regarding Kim Yo-jong's political role in the absence of her brother, South Korea reportedly still believes that Kim Jong-un is still very much in control despite his health problems.
"It seems that Kim Jong-un's rule is in normal operation. With regard to his specific health conditions, our government has no information to confirm yet," stated Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol, according to the Yonhap news agency.
