Amid widespread rumors that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un died or is critically ill following a heart procedure and possible leadership of his successor his sister, Kim Joy Young of the country, South Korean officials announced:
North Korea’s leader: Kim Jong Un is alive and well
According to Moon Chung-in, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s top foreign policy advisor Kim has been staying in North Korea’s Wonsan area since April 13 and said that there are no suspicious movements detected so far.
Despite the Kim Jun Un propensity for cigarettes, apparent weight gain, and his family history of heart problems that fuelled speculations of his possible critical illness and death, Seoul has indicated there have been no unusual signs that could indicate health problems for South Korea's leader.
A website specializing in North Korea studies published satellite images spotted a train likely belonging to Mr. Kim has been parked at his Wonsan compound on the country’s east coast since at least 21 April. It had not been present on 15 April, the website's researchers said.
The train’s presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast.
Many experts in South Korea have downplayed speculation that Mr. Kim is seriously ill and that North Korea is unlikely to face serious immediate turmoil if Mr. Kim was incapacitated or died because of the prospects for the country's long-term political future would be unclear.
Mr. Kim’s health is of crucial importance because of worries that the serious illness or death of a leader venerated by many North Koreans could cause instability in the impoverished, nuclear-armed country.
The country’s aggressive military stance means a change of leadership or power struggle would also likely be of large concern to the likes of South Korea and the US.
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