Rumors have been swirling around social media that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has passed away due to unsuccessful heart surgery.
Photo from: wikipedia.com
There have been conflicting reports about this. If you follow US intelligence officials, North Korea’s rocket man is said to be death’s door. Meanwhile, South Korean authorities say he’s not. If you shift your focus on North Korea, you’ll hear nothing.
His alleged passing was reported by a Hong Kong broadcast network. A vice-director of HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television, a Beijing-backed broadcast network in Hong Kong, claimed that Kim was dead, citing a “very solid source.” Her post on the Chinese messaging app Weibo has been shared widely on social media, according to the International Business Times.
On the other hand, a Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai reported that North Korea’s supreme leader is in a “vegetative state” after his operation earlier this month, as translated by Taiwan News.
Reuters hasn’t been able to confirm or deny it. All it reported was that China has sent a team of doctors and officials to North Korea to advise on the nation’s leader but beyond that, there’s nothing more.
Other unconfirmed reports, attributed to senior party sources in Beijing, said the surgery to insert a stent went wrong because the surgeon’s hands were shaking so badly.
The rumors were fueled by reports that the North Korean leader hasn’t been publicly seen for over two weeks now. The speculations began when Kim did not appear at a celebration for one of the country’s most celebrated holidays on April 15 – the birthday of founder, his grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
An interesting development on this is that a train that belongs to Kim was seen in his private holiday compound, according to Time.
Satellite images suggest that Kim’s train has been parked at the railway station that serves the private compound in Wonsan since at least April 21. Analysts at 38 North, a website devoted to the analysis of North Korea, posted a tweet about this. Wonsan is about 230 kilometers (143 miles) from Pyongyang.
Satellite imagery indicates that Kim Jong Un was likely at his Wonsan compound earlier this week. https://t.co/do75evMgcY #KimJongUn
— 38 North (@38NorthNK) April 25, 2020
Still, the presence of Kim’s train doesn’t prove the dictator’s whereabouts nor does it confirm the rumors regarding his health.
Anything to add to this story? Share your thoughts with us.
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad!
