TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — If Kim Jong Un’s sister starts to appear on TV as if she’s running the country, then something must be wrong with the North Korean leader’s health, basketball star Dennis Rodman said on a British TV show Thursday (May 21).
Rumors have been rife that Kim has either died or that his health has been deteriorating. The first wave of speculation ended when North Korean media showed him visiting a fertilizer factory on May 1, though since then he has again disappeared out of view, unleashing a new wave of rumors.
Appearing on the TV show “Good Morning Britain” to discuss basketball, Rodman was asked about Kim’s health, Metro News reported. The former Chicago Bulls star visited the reclusive leader of the isolated communist state in 2013, gaining the reputation as one of his rare friends in the West.
Rodman said he did have “communications” with North Korea, adding that “if you see his sister on TV, running the country, now you know something is wrong.”
Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong has often been seen as close to her brother, but analysts are divided over whether she has the clout to become the fourth member of the family to rule over the country.