Rumors surrounding Kim Jong Un's health intensified today as Asian media outlets claimed that he had died or is currently 'gravely...
Rumors surrounding Kim Jong Un's health intensified today as Asian media outlets claimed that he had died or is currently 'gravely ill'.
The vice director of Hong Kong Satellite Television (HKSTV) Shijian Xingzou says that a 'very solid source' has told her the North Korean despot, 36, is already dead.
She has 15 million followers on Chinese social media Weibo, and is also the niece of one of the country's foreign ministers.
Separately, a Japanese media outlet claims that Kim has gone into a 'vegetative state' after he underwent heart surgery earlier in the month.
However, a 250-metre-long train belonging to the dictator has been spotted near to his Wonsan holiday compound as recently as Thursday in satellite photos, according to news website 38North.
Although Kim's whereabouts remains unknown, the train's presence at a nearby railway station reserved for the Kim family in the 'elite' area on the east coast suggests he has visited the hideaway.
The most recent photos, from April 23, show the train preparing for departure.
The Wonsan complex includes nine large guesthouses and recreation center, as well as a shooting range and covered dock believed to be for a yacht. At the center of the grounds is a large building that was constructed shortly after Kim Jong Un came to power in 2014.
Kim’s last confirmed public appearance was two weeks ago, when he led a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party committee of policymakers, according to North Korean state media.
A top Hong Kong television director has claimed a 'very solid source' has told her that Kim Jong Un is dead. He was last seen in public on April 11 at a meeting of the Workers’ Party committee of policymakers in Pyongyang
However, a 250-metre-long train belonging to the dictator has been spotted near to his Wonsan holiday compound as recently as Thursday in satellite photos
Satellite images of Wonsan Elite railway station show the leader's train arriving after April 15, and was still at the station on April 23
A special train possibly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen in a satellite image with graphics taken over Wonsan, North Korea April 21, 2020
The most recent photos, from April 23, show the North Korean dictator's train preparing for departure
China has dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation.
The trip by the Chinese doctors and officials comes amid conflicting reports about the health of the North Korean leader, with western outlets unable to immediately determine what the trip by the Chinese team signalled in terms of Kim's health.
A report by the weekly Shukan Gendai in Japan claimed on Friday that North Korea's dictator is currently in a 'vegetative state' after having heart surgery earlier in the month.
The outlet cited a Chinese medic who is believed to have been sent as part of the team to treat Kim Jong Un after a delay in a simple heart procedure had left the leader severely ill.
The source cited by the news outlet claimed that Jong Un was visiting the countryside when he clutched his chest and fell to the ground. A doctor with him at the time is said to have performed CPR and accompanied him to a hospital.
However, the reporting of the deaths of previous North Korean leaders has taken time to emerge officially.
Kim Jong-il, the current leader's father, died of a heart attack while travelling by train two days before it was announced publicly.
The Vice director of HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television Shijian Xingzou says that a 'very solid source' has told her the North Korean despot, 36, was already dead
A special train possibly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was spotted this week at a resort town in the country, according to satellite images reviewed by a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, amid conflicting reports about Kim's health and whereabouts
It is also not unusual for Kim or other North Korean officials to go weeks without public appearances.
In 2014, Kim was not seen out in public for 40 days, before he reemerged appearing to walk with a limp and using a cane, after he reportedly suffered from 'an uncomfortable medical condition'.
While there is no official proof of the dictator's death, the hashtag #KimJongUndead was trending on twitter on Friday following the report.
A delegation led by a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department left Beijing for North Korea on Thursday, two of the people said. The department is the main Chinese body dealing with neighbouring North Korea.
The sources declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, his wife Ri Sol Ju, right, Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and his wife Peng Liyuan taken on June 20, 2019
South Korean people watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Seoul, South Korea, April 21. China has dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation
The Liaison Department could not be reached by Reuters for comment late on Friday. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Friday.
Daily NK, a Seoul-based website, reported earlier this week that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12. It cited one unnamed source in North Korea.
South Korean government officials and a Chinese official with the Liaison Department challenged subsequent reports suggesting that Kim was in grave danger after surgery. South Korean officials said they had detected no signs of unusual activity in North Korea.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump also downplayed earlier reports that Kim was gravely ill. 'I think the report was incorrect,' Trump told reporters, but he declined to say if he had been in touch with North Korean officials.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (centre) visiting the construction site of the Sunchon phosphatic fertiliser factory in South Pyongan province on January 7
US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un stand on North Korean soil while walking to South Korea in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019
On Friday, a South Korean source told Reuters their intelligence was that Kim was alive and would likely make an appearance soon. The person said he did not have any comment on Kim's current condition or any Chinese involvement.
An official familiar with U.S. intelligence said that Kim was known to have health problems but they had no reason to conclude he was seriously ill or unable eventually to reappear in public.
A U.S. State department spokeswoman had no comment. U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, when asked about Kim's health on Fox News after Trump spoke said, 'I don't have anything I can share with you tonight, but the American people should know we're watching the situation very keenly.'
North Korea is one of the world's most isolated and secretive countries, and the health of its leaders is treated as a matter of state security. Reuters has not been able to independently confirm any details on Kim's whereabouts or condition.
North Korea's state media last reported on Kim's whereabouts when he presided over a meeting on April 11. State media did not report that he was in attendance at an event to mark the birthday of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on April 15, an important anniversary in North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pictured on December 4, 2019. The trip by the Chinese doctors and officials comes amid conflicting reports about the health of the North Korean leader
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump also downplayed earlier reports that Kim was gravely ill
Kim, believed to be 36, has disappeared from coverage in North Korean state media before. In 2014, he vanished for more than a month and North Korean state TV later showed him walking with a limp. Speculation about his health has been fanned by his heavy smoking, apparent weight gain since taking power and family history of cardiovascular problems.
When Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, suffered a stroke in 2008, South Korean media reported at the time that Chinese doctors were involved in his treatment along with French physicians.
Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping made the first state visit in 14 years by a Chinese leader to North Korea, an impoverished state that depends on Beijing for economic and diplomatic support.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his wife Ri Sol Ju at Pyongyang Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, in January last year. An official familiar with U.S. intelligence said that Kim was known to have health problems but they had no reason to conclude he was seriously ill or unable eventually to reappear in public
China is North Korea's chief ally and the economic lifeline for a country hard-hit by U.N. sanctions, and has a keen interest in the stability of the country with which it shares a long, porous border.
Kim is a third-generation hereditary leader who came to power after his father Kim Jong Il died in 2011 from a heart attack. He has visited China four times since 2018.
Trump held unprecedented summits with Kim in 2018 and 2019 as part of a bid to persuade him to give up North Korea's nuclear arsenal.