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Seoul (AFP)
The absence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un from a major event in his country has sparked speculation about his health and questions about his succession to the head of the nuclear state, until he appeared again in official photos on Saturday.
Kim’s absence from the April 15 celebrations marked the birthday of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the founder of the regime, with speculation about his health and possible death. This date is considered the most outstanding political event in the country.
This is not the first time that Kim has disappeared from the scene. In 2014, he disappeared for six weeks before reappearing with a stick in hand. Several days later, South Korean intelligence confirmed that he had undergone knee surgery.
Why does Kim Jong Un’s health provoke so much attention and speculation?
– Who is your successor? –
If Kim, who has been in power since 2011, disappears today, the communist country will meet for the first time in exchange for a previously planned succession.
Since its inception, North Korea has been subject to the rule of the Kim dynasty or the so-called “Baekto Mountain”: Kim Jong-un came to succeed his father, Kim Jong-il, who succeeded his father, Kim Il-sung. .
However, Kim’s three known children are very young. He has no knowledge of journalism, as a specific successor. His younger sister Yoo Jung is one of his closest advisers and seems to be the favorite for his succession, but the patriarchal society of North Korea attaches great importance to antiquity and gender.
Where did the nuclear negotiations turn? –
Kim, who is considered the “supreme leader”, extends to the ruling Workers and Soldiers Party. Like all important decisions, they need your approval.
Pyongyang’s talks with Washington over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal fail despite the holding of three summits between Kim and United States President Donald Trump. Kim’s inability to administer or die the trial will increase the uncertainty in this process.
Analysts say power struggles and the influx of refugees to China will be part of the scenarios.
“Kim’s personality, family history, and the structure of the North Korean system make his health a key element in the stability of the country’s foreign policy,” Professor Lev International Erik Easley University of Seoul Ihwa University told AFP .
Kim’s health, who suffers from obesity, has fueled speculation when her father and grandfather died of heart problems.
Why are there so many rumors? –
North Korea is a very mysterious country where economic statistics are considered state secrets.
Observers and diplomats in Pyongyang rely heavily on censored official media to find out what’s going on.
The media showed that Kim chaired a party meeting on April 11. However, on April 15, during Kim Il Sung’s 108th birthday celebrations, Kim was not seen in any of the official photos.
Then the speculation began. The “Daily in Kai” website, run by abandoned North Koreans, reported that the leader had undergone surgery for cardiovascular problems and was recovering at a villa in Fyon-gun county.
Soon after, CNN quoted a US official as saying Washington was “studying information” that Kim was “in a very serious condition” after undergoing surgery.
A Japanese media outlet reported that Kim was “in a coma.”
On Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security confirmed to CNN that Kim Jong-un was “alive and well.”
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, considered that the information about Kim’s deteriorating health was “incorrect”.
“This episode reminds us that we are vulnerable to unfounded rumors about North Korea,” Rachel Lee, a former US government analyst on North Korea, told AFP.
Analysts expect Kim to make a new public appearance in the coming days and for the event to be broadcast by official media. But the reason for his temporary absence is unlikely to be clarified.
© 2020 AFP
