Kim Jong Un's death could force US and South Korea to take military action that would 'make Afghanistan and Iraq pale in comparison', experts warn

Observers have seriously warned that the death of south Korean leader could explode into an ugly civil war.

Military planners forecast the fallout could force the US and South to mobilize
Whispers that Kim is gravely ill have been seeping out of the hermit regime
Attention in military circles has turned to wargaming the outcomes of his death
Kim Jong Un's death would cause a geopolitical meltdown that could see North Korea's cold war with the West turn hot, experts have warned.

A power vacuum left by the dictator could explode into an ugly civil war, which would spark 'humanitarian suffering' and a wave of refugees fleeing the violence.

Military planners have forecast the fallout could force the United States and South Korea to mobilize against the nuclear-armed state in an intervention that would 'make Afghanistan and Iraq pale in comparison'.

Whispers that Kim is gravely ill after undergoing heart surgery have been seeping out of the hermit regime in recent days.

Donald Trump has said there is no evidence to confirm the speculation, while Seoul and Beijing also cast doubt on the claims.

Yet, with no denial from official North media, attention in military circles has turned to wargaming the possible scenarios of the strongman's death.

David Maxwell, a retired special forces colonel and now senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, pointed to the blurry line of succession which could lead to a power struggle in Pyongyang.

He told the Military Times: 'Units of the North Korean People's Army are going to compete for resources and survival.

'This will lead to internal conflict among units and could escalate to widespread


The former head of South Korea's special forces, agreed that the question of succession would split the regime in factions and unleash 'chaos, human suffering, instability'.

Kim Jong Un's chosen successor is not known, although his sister's recent promotion suggests she is being groomed for leadership.

Kim Yo Jong was brought back into her brother's inner circle to become head of propaganda.

She had been blamed for the collapse of the denuclearisation talks with Washington and cast out into the cold.

In the event of unrest in the North, the Maxwell said the US and South Korea may be left with no option but to engage.

He said: '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).

'This is a contingency operation that will make Afghanistan and Iraq pale in comparison.'