The North Korean leader, Mr Kim Jong Un is reportedly in grave danger after undergoing treatment for a cardiovascular problem.
A United States official with direct knowledge told CNN on Monday night that U.S. intelligence is monitoring reports about the condition of the head of the isolated country. Bloomberg reported that Mr Kim underwent heart surgery last week, and U.S. officials did not know if he was alive or dead. The Trump administration is looking into the potential line of succession after Mr Kim, they said.
South Korea’s government-funded Yonhap news agency, however, refuted those reports, saying that Mr Kim was not seriously ill.
Speculation has run rampant around the 36-year-old Kim’s health in recent days. Reports from South Korea claims that the leaders health has deteriorated over the past several months because of his heavy smoking habit, obesity and overwork.
Mr Kim was last seen in public at a government meeting on April 11, but fueled rumors about his condition when he did not make any kind of appearance on April 15. That date, a national holiday in North Korea, celebrates the birth of Kim’s grandfather and the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
In some cases, glaring absences from important events signify major developments in North Korea, such as when Mr. Kim Jong Il missed the country’s 60th anniversary celebration because of a stroke, which eventually led to his declining health and death in 2011. But other times, not showing up has turned out to mean nothing, and there has been no shortage of false rumors regarding Mr Kim and his family.
North Korea tightly controls all information about Mr Kim, making it a challenge to know the truth about the leader especially when it comes to his health. The supreme leader commands a cult of personality in his country, and gaining insight about his situation often amounts to scanning state media reports and propaganda videos for clues.
