A North Korea defector who recently became a lawmaker in South Korea says he is "99 per cent" sure Kim Jong-un is dead. Ji Seong-ho believes Pyongyang may announce this weekend that the dictator has died and a successor - likely Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong - has been chosen.
Amid unverified claims that Kim was dead, in a vegetative state or recovering after undergoing heart surgery, the lawmaker said he was informed that Kim died last weekend after undergoing a cardiovascular operation.
North Korea has held off on confirming its leader's demise and announcing a period of mourning because it is "grappling with a complicated succession issue", he added.