Kim Jong Un is the “ultimate decision-maker” in Pyongyang but is yet to fully consolidate his power, a North Korea leadership expert said on Friday, warning that, as a result, the next two-to-five years will be “critical for the regime.”

Speaking at a Washington, D.C. event to launch his “North Korean House of Cards” report, Ken E. Gause suggested that serious problems could emerge if Kim Jong Un did not consolidate power within that timeframe.

“I’m not saying the regime is going to collapse, though that’s a possibility if certain things begin to happen, but it can make it very difficult