Kim Jong Il’s brother-in-law, Sung Taek is suspected by some as being the real force behind the regime, the secretive puppet master in the state most shrouded by secrets. It was thought that Sung Taek would play regent to Jong Un, allowing the third Kim to rule North Korea time to grow into his position. But, according to TIME’s Bill Powell, that may not be true. Instead, Sung Taek may be at the heart of an internal palace struggle, one which might have put him even at odds with his own wife, Kim Kyong Hui. After all, it’s reported that Kim Il Sung — father of Kim Jong Il and architect of the North Korean state — disapproved of Sung Taek’s marriage into the family.
After Kim Jong Il: A Look at the Kim Family Tree
The heavy-jowled Kim Jong Un looks poised to succeed his father. But he was not always the most likely: TIME looks at those in the Kim clan who may have had (or still possess) designs on the Hermit Kingdom's top job.