North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
Seoul … News Time
South Korean officials say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s mysterious silence may have been caused by the coronavirus rather than his illness. According to the Reuters news agency, South Korea’s Minister for North Korean Affairs said that Kim Jong Un may not have appeared on the occasion of the important day on April 15 due to coronavirus. It is believed that Kim Jong Un did not attend the birthday celebrations of the North Korean founder and his grandfather on April 15 and his activities are constantly being kept secret despite conflicting reports about his health were also exposed. Reports claimed that Kim Jong Un had passed away due to various illnesses, but the South Korean government denied the reports. The South Korean official said he had not seen any unusual activity in North Korea and had warned Kim Jong Un about his health.
Regarding the corona virus, North Korean officials said that no case has been reported in the country so far but strict measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the epidemic. South Korean Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Kim Jong Un’s silence was not unusual. He said it was a fact that Kim had never been absent from the ceremony since he took office, but many events had been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. “Since January, there have been two occasions when Kim Jong Un has not been seen for about 20 days, and I don’t think the coronavirus situation is unusual,” he said. Rumors of Kim Jong Un’s death spread when an American journalist claimed in a tweet that a TV channel in the Chinese state of Hong Kong claimed that the North Korean leader had died.
The New York Post quoted a Hong Kong TV channel as saying that Kim Jong Un had died after a long illness. The New York Post also quoted a Japanese magazine as saying that Kim Jong Un did not die but was in poor health. Earlier, reports of Kim Jong Un’s serious illness and mental paralysis or death were circulating. News of Kim Jong Un’s serious illness intensified this month when North Korean newspapers reported that Kim Jong Un did not appear at his grandfather’s birthday party on April 15.
North Korea’s 2 News websites reported that Kim Jong Un’s health had deteriorated earlier this month and he had to undergo heart surgery on April 12, prompting him to leave his official residence. They moved to another habitat between the mountains, where their condition worsened. Following the news, the Chinese government sent a medical team to North Korea before April 25. Chinese officials confirmed on April 25 that a medical team had been dispatched a few days earlier following reports of Kim Jong Un’s condition, but Chinese officials did not comment on the North Korean leader’s health.
US President Donald Trump also said in a statement that he hoped Kim Jong Un would be healthy, but did not speak openly about his health. The South Korean government later clarified that Kim Jong Un was in good health and that not all reports were accurate. Moon Chung-in, foreign affairs adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, claimed that the North Korean leader was alive. The South Korean president’s adviser briefly but unequivocally dismissed rumors circulating about the North Korean leader’s health, saying Kim Jong Un was healthy.
Kim Jong Un has been North Korea’s head of state for the past nine years. He became head of state in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong Un. This is not the first time such contradictory news has surfaced about the 36-year-old leader, who disappeared from the media for more than a month in 2014 after reports emerged that he was not in good health. His father is also said to have fallen ill in 2008, a few years before his death, and his condition worsened in 2009, while in 2011 he suffered a heart attack during a serious illness had passed away. After becoming head of state, Kim Jong Un emerged as a tough leader on the world stage, but further strengthened ties with China while fluctuating with the United States. Kim Jong Un has visited China almost four times since 2018, with whom he has economic ties despite UN sanctions. US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met twice in 2018 and 2019 in an unconventional way to address concerns over North Korea’s nuclear system.
