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, "gravely" ill 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.
Kim hasn't been seen in public since April 11 - almost three weeks ago - when he oversaw a Politburo meeting.
It was claimed he underwent heart surgery the following day.
Satellite images show a train parked at the "leadership station" in the coastal resort of Wonsan for more than a week - suggesting that Kim may be at his luxury compound - but North Korea watchers have cautioned that it could be a diversion tactic.
It has also been suggested that Kim may have left Pyongyang to avoid coronavirus, after people close to him caught the killer bug, and is "alive and well".
But there have been signs that Kim isn't making leadership decisions and North Korea has stopped trying to silence the rapid spread of rumours that he has died or is in poor health.
Ji, who won a proportional representation seat in South Korea's elections on April 15, told Yonhap News Agency: "I've wondered how long he could have endured after cardiovascular surgery.
"I've been informed that Kim died last weekend."
He added: "It is not 100 per cent certain, but I can say the possibility is 99 per cent. North Korea is believed to be grappling with a complicated succession issue."
Ji said an announcement could come this weekend and Kim's sister is likely to succeed him.
He did not reveal the source of his information.
Claims about Kim or North Korea's activities are almost impossible to verify due to the country's secrecy and isolation.
The deaths of Pyongyang's only two previous leaders - Kim's grandfather Kim Il-sung, the country's founder, and father Kim Jong-il - were announced by state media two days after they had died, triggering mourning periods.
South Korea's presidency has insisted that it has not detected any "unusual" signs in North Korea amid speculation about Kim's health and his absence from state media reports.
Taiwan's intelligence chief, Chiu Kuo-cheng, told lawmakers in Taipei that Kim is "sick" and North Korea has drawn up contingency plans if the event of a power vacuum.
UK Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said America has caught no sight of Kim and is watching reports about his health, adding there was a real risk of famine in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea, where he is now a lawmaker, recently suggested that Kim has health problems.
He told CNN: "I'm not quite sure whether he really had some surgery or whatever, but one thing is clear... he cannot stand up by himself or walk properly."
There has also been speculation that North Korea is preparing to test-fire another missile into the sea.
North Korea's propaganda networks have not mentioned anything about Kim's health or being absent from public view for weeks, and they continue to report that he is making decisions and sending messages to world leaders.
Kim's 32-year-old sister Kim Yo-jong, who is his closest confidant, his uncle Kim Pyong-il, 65, and his first military chief, Choe Ryong-hae, have been named as possible successors if the current leader is dead or unable to continue.
South Korea's National Assembly Research Services, a legislative think tank, has said that Kim's sister has recently been exerting increasing clout in Pyongyang.
The think tank's report added: "This suggests the possibility of expanding her status and role as official successor."
However, some observers believe she would be rejected by North Korea's elite and would be passed over because she is a woman.
Kim Jong-un, believed to be aged 36, was groomed to become the country's next leader as his father's health failed.
He is said to have three children, but they are all very young and not in a position to take over the country.
With so many wildly varying claims about Kim's health and the reason for his absence from public view, the only thing that is certain is no-one outside of North Korea really knows whether he is dead or alive.
Experts have said that only a handful of people close to Kim will know the truth.
Rumours about Kim's health and claims that he has died have been spreading through the country, along with a fake TV news report about his demise, it has been reported.
Speculation about Kim's health erupted after he missed an annual birthday celebration for his late grandfather - a major date on the calendar in North Korea - on April 15.
It was followed by a report from the Seoul-based website Daily NK, which is run by defectors, that claimed Kim had undergone heart surgery on April 12.
Kim's condition was considered stable following the operation and he was recovering at a villa while doctors continued to monitor him, a source inside North Korea told the website.
Since that report, there have been unverified claims that Kim is dead, in a vegetative state or "alive and well".
South Korea has cautioned against reports that Kim is dead or ill, and Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said on Wednesday that Kim taking an extended absence from public view is nothing new.
There is speculation that Kim has travelled to his seaside compound in Wonsan after a train, believed to be his, was spotted at a station there in satellite images published by the Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, 38 North.
The train was first noticed on April 21 and it was there as recently as Sunday, although the engine car has either departed or been moved under a canopy, 38 North reported.
It has been claimed he left Pyongyang for his coastal retreat due to a coronavirus outbreak in the country.
New satellite images published by NK Pro show recent movements of luxury boats often used by Kim off the coast of Wonsan.
It is where the dictator keeps a Princess 95 luxury yacht that was once valued at $7 million.
