North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un hasn't been seen in public since April 11 and despite the country's assurances that he is alive and well there are now persistent rumours he's died.
He even missed one of the country's biggest annual celebrations four days later - an absence which has been described as "unprecedented".
Over the weekend, claims emerged that that dictator had passed away, or been left in a "vegetative state", following a botched heart operation because the "surgeon's hands were shaking so much".
By Sunday, the state-backed media in North Korea had jumped into action and reported that Kim had thanked workers on the project in the city of Wonsan, where a train believed to be his has been spotted in satellite images amid unverified reports that he is either dead, in a vegetative state or "alive and well".
And now South Korea's minister for North Korean affairs Kim Yeon-chul believes that the Covid-19 crisis could be to blame.
The Unification Minister, who oversees North Korea engagement, told a parliamentary hearing: "It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung's birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns."
The minister said it is not unusual for Kim to vanish for weeks at a time - saying there were at least two instances since mid-January where he was out of sight for nearly 20 days.
He said: "I don't think that's particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation."
North Korea has insisted it has had no cases of coronavirus but that it is prepared for the pandemic.
But if the rumours are true and Kim Jong-un is dead, this would leave a huge power vacuum in North Korea.
Many expect his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, who has been described as a "tyrant in waiting" would take over if her brother was no longer able to run the country.
And anyone expecting a softer approach with a woman at the helm would be mistaken, according to experts.
Prof Natasha Lindstaedt, an expert on totalitarian regimes, said: “I don’t believe that her being a woman will weaken her position if she takes over as leader.
“These people are not viewed or portrayed as even being human-like to the people of North Korea – as we have seen with Kim Jong-un.
“They are presented as gods who can make everything better.
“If she became supreme leader the same would apply to her and she would become god-like and every portrayal of her would do the same thing.
“It is possible she will adopt an even harder line than her brother in dealing with the rest of the world because of the level of poverty.
“There is nothing else – it is all they have. I do believe she is as tough as her brother and she has been very visible in recent times.
“Often new leaders feel they must be tougher than the previous one.”
Yo-jong shares a close relationship with her brother after they were both sent away to school in Switzerland.
There shared a home where they had their own bodyguards and chefs are rarely mixed with other students.
And despite her brother taking over the dynasty following their father, Kim Jong-il's death in 2011, Yo-jong has been groomed for power since she was a teenager.
The 32-year-old was said to one of her father's favourite children, who was impressed by how clever she was, and arranged for her to be trained in the art of ruling from her teens.
Kim Ki-nam, North Korea's propaganda minister, was responsible for her education in the pursuit of power.
Just a year after her brother came into power, Yo-jong began her ascent to the top. It is believed she was her brother's tour manager although her TV appearances were still few and far between.
But by 2014, the leader's sister was mentioned as a "senior official" in the Worker's Party of Korea for the first time.
And in the October of that year, Yo-jong was chosen to stand in for her brother while he recovered from health problems.
Ever since her brother came to power, Yo-jong is said to have been the person behind his public image, pushing the "cult of personality".
She is thought to be the driving force behind some of the more bizarre photoshoots her brother has taken part in, from riding on fairground rides to being pictured at a basketball game with NBA star Dennis Rodman.
Yo-jong wants Kim to be seen as a "man of the people" and has worked tirelessly on his image since he came to power.
From 2017 she has been a prominent figure in North Korea's supreme governing body, only the second ever woman to hold such a position.
She was finally thrust onto the world stage two years ago when she was North Korea's representative at the Winter Olympic Games on Seoul, South Korea.
She was pictured sitting close to US Vice President Mike Pence and her rise as one of the leaders of government in North Korea seemed unstoppable.
Following on from her success at the Olympics, Yo-jong was chosen to be part of her brother's team during the North Korea and US Singapore Summit.
She was also at his side during the North Korea and US summit in Hanoi, Vietnam the following year.
The shine seemed to be fading from Yo-jong's star when she was removed from the hierarchy of the party for almost a year, only to be reinstated earlier this month - just before the rumours of her brother's death surfaced.
But even when she had been removed from the senior leadership of the party, there was little doubt of the importance of her role.
When Kim Jong-un visited Mount Paektu, said to be the birth place of the dynasty, on horse back later last year, his sister was at his side.
Rachel Lee, a former North Korea analyst for the US government, told the Financial Times : "To your average, everyday North Korean, that is a pretty sure sign that she is a special person, that she is part of the Mount Paektu bloodline,” said Rachel Lee, a former North Korea analyst for the US government."
Sung Yoong Lee, an American expert on the Koreas, added: “It is entirely possible Ms Kim would be even more tyrannical than her brother, father or grandfather.”
“She will have to show her mettle by provoking the US with major weapons tests and lethal attacks on South Korea and US forces stationed there.”
Seven decades of rule by the Kim dynasty have seen thousands executed and millions dying
of starvation.
Ms Kim has stayed quiet in the face of the regime’s brutality, including the execution of an uncle who was reportedly fed to dogs.
And she has been quick to take enemies to task, branding Seoul “like a frightened dog barking” after a recent South Korea weapons test.
