Heir unapparent: If North Korea faces succession, who might replace Kim?

Pyongyang has never said who will lead the country if Kim was incapacitated. With no details known about his children, analysts say his sister, loyalists could form a regency till a successor is ready

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in three weeks, state media reported on Saturday, after an unexplained absence fuelled questions about who would take over the nuclear-armed state in the event of his death.

Pyongyang has never announced who would lead the country were Kim to be incapacitated, and with no details known about his young children, analysts say his sister and loyalists could form a regency until a successor is ready to take over.

Such speculation intensified after Kim, believed to be about 36 years old, missed a key state anniversary event on April