Kim Jong-un’s pop star ex-lover 'replaces wife at his side in mystery power shift'

Kim Jong Un [Photo: Courtesy]

North Korean despot Kim Jong-un’s wife has not been seen in public for almost a year and appears to have been replaced at the dictator's side by his pop star ex-lover.

Ex-singer Hyon Song-wol, 43, even appears to have pushed aside Kim's ambitious sister, who had become an understudy set to take over amid rumours he had become ill earlier this year. Experts believe the twist could be a sign of a massive family rift among the Kim dynasty, possibly over his sister becoming over-ambitious and Kim trying to strike out alone.