{"id":53047,"date":"2020-04-21T05:46:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T05:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:13:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:13:51","slug":"how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/training-sim\/2020\/03\/30\/north-korea-test-fires-missiles-amid-worries-about-outbreak\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Kim Jong Un<\/a> demise could destabalize the region, create a massive refugee flow and force the U.S., South Korea and possibly other regional allies to react to the upheaval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s how experts contacted by Military Times see a Kim-less future possibly unfolding in the nuclear-armed Hermit Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The questions about what would happen should Kim die or be incapacitated were sparked by a CNN report that the North Korean despot was in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/20\/politics\/kim-jong-un-north-korea\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">grave danger<\/a>\u201d following a surgery. However, the Yonhap News Agency, a South Korean-government funded organization, later tweeted out that there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But even if he isn\u2019t on his death bed, Kim does have health issues and his exit from the stage would create turmoil, experts say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without a designated heir there will be \u201cchaos, human suffering, instability,\u201d retired South Korean Lt. Gen. Chun In-Bum, the former head of his nation\u2019s special operations forces, told Military Times. \u201cIt\u2019s bad news for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank who has two decades of military service in Asia said a U.S. and South Korean military reaction to that upheaval could require an effort that \u201cwill make Afghanistan and Iraq pale in comparison.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like Chun, Maxwell, a retired Special Forces colonel who served with him, said a lack of clear succession would set chaos into motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim Il Sung designated his son successor in 1973 and the Kim Il-sung designated his son success in 2009 or 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is unknown whether Kim Jong-un has designated a successor,\u201d said Maxwell. &#8220;We can speculate that perhaps his sister Kim Yo-jong has been designated as his successor based on her recent promotion and the fact she has begun making official statements in her name beginning last month.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it is unknown, said Maxwell, \u201cwhether a woman, despite being part of the Paektu bloodline could become the leader of the Kim family regime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No clear successor could lead to a regime collapse, said Maxwell, with the Kim regime and the Workers Party of Korea unable to govern the north or maintain military cohesion and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What happens then is a wild card, with a lot of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2006\/10\/when-north-korea-falls\/305228\/\" target=_blank>bad possible outcomes<\/a> that the South Korean\/U.S. alliance must be prepared to handle, said Maxwell. He added that military planners, including himself, have long briefed senior leaders on what could transpire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"903\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MaxwellGraph.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MaxwellGraph.png.png 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MaxwellGraph.png.png?resize=300,226 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MaxwellGraph.png.png?resize=768,578 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MaxwellGraph.png.png?resize=1024,771 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Graphic courtesy David Maxwell, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a retired Special Forces colonel, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). From his report at http:\/\/www.icks.org\/data\/ijks\/1482467285_add_file_7.pdf.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a \u201chumanitarian disaster that will unfold in North Korea,\u201d said Maxwell. It will be further complicated by the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSouth Korea, China, and Japan (via boat) are going to have to deal with potential large scale refugee flows,\u201d he said. \u201cUnits of the North Korean People\u2019s Army are going to compete for resources and survival. This will lead to internal conflict among units and could escalate to widespread civil war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But even such internal strife won\u2019t hinder the North\u2019s animus toward the outside or its willingness to fight if they feel it is warranted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSince North Korea is a Guerrilla Dynasty built on the myth of anti-Japanese partisan warfare we can expect large numbers of the military (1.2 million active duty and 6 million reserves) to resist any and all outside foreign intervention to include from South Korea,\u201d said Maxwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then there are the North Korea weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLastly the ROK\/US alliance is going to have to be prepared to secure and render safe the entire WMD program, nuclear, chemical, biological weapons and stockpiles, manufacturing facilities, and human infrastructure (scientists and technicians),\u201d said Maxwell. \u201cThis is a contingency operation that will make Afghanistan and Iraq pale in comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S.\/South Korean alliance \u201chas contingency plans for this,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cIt will be a combined effort because neither South Korea nor the U.S. can execute this alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those plans, however, have been \u201ctoo long-neglected,\u201d said Maxwell, adding that the cancellation of many high-level training exercises hasn\u2019t helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, the \u201cfriction of burden sharing as well as the move of U.S. forces out of Seoul to Camp Humphreys\u201d means \u201cthe alliance is just not as well trained, ready, and solid as it has been in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chun, the retired South Korean general, largely agreed with Maxwell about the refugees and potential civil war in the north, but does not see a U.S.\/South Korean military incursion past the 38th Parallel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat are we going to do? March in there?? Let the Chinese do it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe DPRK is a sovereign country. Anyone going in there, including the Chinese, would be crazy. The ROK\/US has a bad plan with bad assumptions. It will get us into a nuclear war.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Questions about North Korea&#8217;s leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":74639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3204],"class_list":["post-53047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"VRGWSBTWHZAVVGHBZBIQ2S7XMY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Questions about North Korea&#039;s leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Questions about North Korea&#039;s leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-21T05:46:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T09:13:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Howard Altman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Howard Altman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-21T05:46:41+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T09:13:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 844,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-21T05:46:41+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T09:13:51+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Questions about North Korea's leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon-congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response - Navy Times","description":"Questions about North Korea's leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response","og_description":"Questions about North Korea's leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2020-04-21T05:46:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T09:13:51+00:00","author":"Howard Altman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Howard Altman","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response","datePublished":"2020-04-21T05:46:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T09:13:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/"},"wordCount":844,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/","name":"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-21T05:46:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T09:13:51+00:00","description":"Questions about North Korea's leader were sparked by a report that Kim was in \u201cgrave danger,\u201d but other organizations reported there were \u201cno unusual signs\u201d of Kim\u2019s health.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/21\/how-a-kim-jong-un-demise-could-spark-unrest-require-us-south-korean-military-response\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pentagon &amp; Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/","ad_zone":"pentagon-congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How a Kim Jong Un demise could spark unrest, require US, South Korean military response"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19329102500916.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53047"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53055,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53047\/revisions\/53055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53047"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=53047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}