If Kim Jong Un died tomorrow, who would take over - and what would happen next? Our five-part series on North Korean succession.
North Korea has no public succession law. Seoul's spy agency says Kim's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is being lined up as heir - but she is around 13. Real power would likely sit with his sister Kim Yo Jong and the Party and army elite. Uncle Kim Pyong Il has the bloodline but no power base.
In 2011, Kim Jong Il's death was kept secret for 51 hours while the elite locked down control. Next time there is a nuclear arsenal - and a 2022 law saying strikes launch "automatically" if the leader's command is attacked. China and Russia would both back whoever keeps the regime intact.
Kim Ju Ae has been built up on state media since 2022, but she has no official title, rank or Party post. The bloodline works in her favour; her age, gender and lack of a power base work against her.
Four power centres - the family, the Party, the security services and the army - would decide who really rules. The Kim track record with rivals is brutal: an army chief purged in 2012, an uncle executed in 2013, a half-brother assassinated in 2017.
The dynasty survives the handover. A teenage heir with strong guardians is the system's safest option in the short term - the real risk comes years later, when those guardians decide whether they still need her.
