As the daughter of the country’s first leader, sister of its second and aunt of its third, Miss Kim has been a key political figure for four decades. She disappeared from public view for six years after 2003, having apparently fallen from favour, but re-emerged more powerful than ever and was made a four-star general in 2010.

By the following year, she and her husband were regularly seen in photos as part of the young Kim’s official entourage, a sure sign of their membership of the inner circle. One picture showed the three riding down a supermarket escalator together, standing behind Kim Jong-il in what was one of his last public appearances before his death. “The Escalator of Evil”, as some Western pundits have jokingly put it, has now reportedly become a shrine for some North Koreans, who pay homage to the late leader there.

Oddly, when Miss Kim is not helping her nephew run the country, she is also the burger queen of Pyongyang, owning the only burger joint in the city. However, rather than using the Americanism of “burger”, the restaurant describes its offerings as “minced meat and bread”. It has, by all accounts, been a huge hit. Customers wash down the exotic delicacy with local beverages such as Pyongyang Cider and Kumgang Draft Beer.

Such culinary treats are a privilege reserved for the elite in the capital, however. Much of the country has been plagued by persistent famine and millions have died from hunger, disease and in concentration camps during her family’s reign.