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Rampant Rumors But Few Facts About Kim Jong Un's Health

William Gallo

   SEOUL - Where is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and why has he been
   absent from public view for more than two weeks? It's the question
   everyone seems to be asking. The problem is, everyone has a different
   answer.

   Depending on which rumor you prefer, Kim is missing because he suffered
   an ankle sprain, had a kidney malfunction, underwent [1]failed heart
   surgery, went into lockdown to avoid the coronavirus, or [2]sustained
   injuries during a botched missile test.

   And how is Kim now? According to the rumors, he is either in a coma and
   [3]brain dead, actually dead, or walking around the eastern port city
   of Wonsan, where he has a private beach resort.

   Over the past week, both tabloid magazines and reputable news outlets
   around the globe have published a comically diverse smorgasbord of Kim
   rumors --none of which are verified.

   Though the rumors are abundant, and growing by the day, virtually
   nothing is known about the condition or whereabouts of Kim, who was
   last seen at a ruling party meeting in Pyongyang on April 11.

   Explosion of rumors

   Rumors began to simmer after Kim, an overweight 36-year-old cigarette
   smoker with a history of health problems, skipped public celebrations
   for his late grandfather, North Korea's founding leader, whose birth
   anniversary on April 15 is a major holiday.

   Quoting an anonymous source, the Daily NK, a Seoul-based website, last
   Monday reported Kim underwent heart surgery on April 12 and was
   recovering at a villa outside Pyongyang.

   The rumors exploded after CNN the same day cited unnamed U.S. officials
   who said they were "monitoring intelligence" suggesting Kim is in
   "grave danger" after the surgery.

   By Saturday, TMZ, a celebrity gossip and entertainment news website,
   reported Kim had died, setting off countless Internet jokes about the
   portly young leader.

   North Korea quiet
   North Korea has not responded to the rumors. Its state media have
   instead provided only passing indications --but no proof --that Kim is
   still conducting official business.

   While there are non-extreme possibilities that explain Kim's absence,
   that has not stopped the rumors from spreading.

   For some observers, the sheer number of rumors combined with the lack
   of a North Korean response is enough to conclude that Kim is sick or
   dead.
   "I don't know anything directly, but I'd be shocked if he's not dead or
   in some incapacitated state," Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
   told Fox News on Sunday. "Because you don't let rumors like this go
   forever or go unanswered in a closed society."

   But that is not the way North Korea has behaved in the past, says
   Rachel Minyoung Lee, a Seoul-based North Korea analyst.

   "North Korea does not react to rumors about the leader's health," says
   Lee, a former U.S. government open-source intelligence analyst on North
   Korea.

References

   1. https://www.dailynk.com/english/source-kim-jong-un-recently-received-heart-surgery/
   2. http://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20200427/2048325/1/Kim-Jong-Un-might-have-been-injured-during-April-14-missile-tests
   3. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/kim-jong-uns-doctor-botched-21927807

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