Rumors of North Korean leader suffering stroke and possible death grow

What happened to the North Korean leader? Rumors about the health and even the possibility of his death have been running high since a Chinese medical team visited him. Official sources in China and North Korea have remained silent on the reports.

Various sources reported that 36-year-old Kim Jong-un underwent heart surgery and was in a coma after the procedure. Some sources even reported the death of the North Korean leader and his potential successor.

The rumors began on Monday, April 21, when the Seoul-based website Daily NK, which focuses on North Korea, reported that Kim had been hospitalized on April 12 (two weeks ago) and underwent cardiovascular surgery shortly thereafter.

CNN, citing a US government official, reported that Kim's health condition is critical.

On Friday, May 26, a medical team was sent to North Korea to check on Kim Jong-un's health.

Japanese media report

The Japanese website "Shokan Gendai" reported on Saturday, May 26, that the North Korean leader's surgery was unsuccessful. According to the report, the North Korean leader is alive but his brain is not showing any activity. According to the website, Kim Jong-un is in a "vegetative state." This condition occurs in patients who have fallen into a coma due to brain damage.

Kim Jong-un's death likely

The New York Post has reported, citing the deputy director of Hong Kong's HKSTV satellite television, that Kim Jong Un has died. The deputy director of Hong Kong's HKSTV said he was told by "very reliable sources" that Kim Jong Un had died.

Speculation about Kim Jong-un's death increased, especially after a Chinese medical delegation visited to check on the North Korean leader's condition.

Users of Weibo, a Chinese social network similar to Facebook, widely shared the news of the North Korean leader's death.

Christian Taks, director of the Friedrich Naumann Institute in Seoul, told German media that there has been a lot of controversial news, but there must be serious reasons for Kim's absence from the 115th anniversary of his grandfather's birth.

Kim Jong-un unexpectedly missed the birthday celebration of his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, last week (April 15). Kim Il-sung died in 1994.

Speculation over North Korea's leader's successor

Regarding the possibility of succeeding the North Korean leader, it has also been said that the 31-year-old sister of the North Korean leader, who accompanied Kim during his meeting with Trump and South Korean President Kim, has a better chance.

According to South Korean and Japanese media, Kim Jong-un's wife has rarely been seen in public, and her seven-year-old daughter has no chance of succeeding her father.

Donald Trump's reaction

US President Donald Trump, who has met Kim three times, has wished him well despite the lack of accurate reports on his health. In a message to the North Korean government, Trump wrote that he had "best wishes" for him and hoped he would "get well."

The US president has said that if the "reports" are correct, Kim is in "very serious condition," but he has dismissed reports of Kim Jong-un's death as false.

Source: DW