Kim Jong Un has propped up as a trending topic on social media as the world rejoices in the probability that the dictator of North Korea is on his death bed.
Why are people claiming Kim Jong Un is in grave danger?
Of course, all of this is speculative since it’s widely known that no free press exists in the country. However, according to reports, analysts who’ve kept a close watch on the ongoings of the authoritative state have reason to believe that Kim Jong Un may be in grave danger.
In a recent CNN report, writers Jim Sciutto, Joshua Berlinger, Kylie Atwood and Zachary Cohen, noted that sources with direct knowledge of Kim Jong Un’s whereabouts claim that the North Korean leader’s health is in a deteriorating state since he underwent cardiovascular surgery.
Well, is he? – Here’s everything we know
At this time, there is nothing to suggest that any of the information given by these sources is true. Even South Korea’s Presidential Blue House issued a statement on the speculations, noting no unusual activity detected in the military state.
So, to make sense of all of these wild speculations, we have developed a timeline of events starting from the last time Kim Jong Un made a public appearance.
- Kim Jong Un was last seen on the state’s media on Saturday 11 April.
- On Wednesday 15 April North Korea celebrated the anniversary of the birth of the country’s founding father, a very important day of observance in the country. However, Kim Jong Un was a no-show, an alarming development that sent shockwaves in global politics.
- The day after, Daily NK, an online newspaper based in South Korea that reports on North Korean affairs, published a story claiming that the dictator received a cardiovascular system procedure on Sunday 12 April because of “excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork.”
- On Sunday 19 April, it’s believed the medical team who treated him returned to Pyongyang, a sign that his condition was stable post-surgery.
No sight of Kim Jong Un has been seen for 10 days, further ramping up speculation about his health. It is believed that the 36-year-old is currently recovering at a villa in Hyangsan County.
With South Korea and the United States’ (US) central intelligence agency (CIA) tight-lipped about the whole situation, social media has run rampant with these claims.
These are some of the reactions we picked out:
