While reports have come flying out of North Korea and South Korea that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been gravely ill after getting a heart surgery. And if you could believe the corporate media outlets such as Bloomberg, The New Republic, and CNBC – the latest update to this news is that Kim Jong-un might be dying.
Now, there is no verified source to back up this info – but history shows that there is no way to be sure.
It could be possible that he’s dying, and if he indeed dies, then would the world be at risk? Considering that North Korea is a nuclear power and that power can go into the hands of some other leader after Kim.
Why does the media think that Kim Jong-un might be dying?
American intelligence agencies reported that Kim Jong-un was absent from North Korea’s biggest festival of the year on April 15th – the birthday celebration of his grandfather Kim Il Song – and he had even missed a missile launch on the day before.
It was suspected that he might be sick or dead, but a South Korean portal named Daily NK revealed that Kim just received a heart surgery and he was in recovery.
Misunderstandings have happened in the past
In 2008 Kim Jong-Il (father of Kim Jong-un), had a stroke and went into a coma for weeks, but this news didn’t come out in the public media for weeks. North Korea hid this secret for a long time.
Only after he actually recovered and went back to the governing chair, they revealed that he was sick.
This was the time when a young Kim Jong-un was available, and he was being groomed for future leadership.
Unfortunately, if Kim Jong-un dies now then there is no successor for him
It’ll have to be one of the high-ranking officials who are closest to him. A power tussle is certain and that might throw North Korea into a state of chaos.
It is also possible that the volatile political atmosphere of North Korea in the hands of a new leader might trigger USA’s deep insecurity and paranoia, and before we know it – American might jump the gun and start the third world war.
American media has been wrong before so many times
In 1986, the New York Times reported that Kim Il Sung is dead, but he was alive and he survived for another 8 years.
In 2011, when Kim Jong-Il actually died, American media had no clue for the next two days.
Trump thinks his “good friend” Kim Jong-un is alive and well
When a reporter at the White House briefing asked Trump if he was aware of Kim Jong-un’s possible death:
“I think the report was incorrect, let me just put it that way. I hear the report was an incorrect report. I hope it was an incorrect report.”
Earlier when the news of Kim’s surgery was out, Trump said that he had a “very good relationship” with him and wished him “good luck.”
“I’ve had a very good relationship with him. I wouldn’t — I can only say this, I wish him well, because if he is in the kind of condition that the reports say, that’s a very serious condition, as you know. But I wish him well.”
Featured Image Courtesy: IBTimes