Un medio estadounidense asegura que el líder norcoreano murió, pero en Japón señalan que se encuentra en estado vegetativo, mientras que en Corea del Sur dicen que está recuperándose de una operación.
En las últimas horas se ha especulado mucho sobre el estado de salud del líder norcoreano, Kim Jong-un. Desde que supuestamente murió por una cirugía cardíaca fallida o que se encontraría en estado vegetativo tras la misma intervención, lo único cierto es que las versiones sobre su estado de salud son varias y que se contradicen unas con otras. Incluso se ha mencionado que estaría recuperándose en su país o que en realidad no habría pasado nada fuera de lo normal con él. Pero, ¿cuál es la verdad?
Kim Jong-un, 36, was last seen in public on April 11, when he chaired a meeting of the Workers’ Party political bureau, reported by North Korean propaganda the next day. Afterwards, he has not shown his face.
He did not attend the April 14 anti-ship cruise missile launch test into the waters of the Sea of Japan. He also did not participate in the celebrations of April 15 for the Day of the Sun, dedicated to the birth of his grandfather and founder of the country, Kim Il-sung (1912-1994). As such, there are no recent photos of Kim at official activities or visiting civilian or military installations, nor supervising ballistic or artillery drills, which he usually attends to direct operations, according to official propaganda.
In that framework, reports of his fate exploded, although there is still nothing official. In fact, the North Korean agency KCNA, which is used to covering Kim’s activities, reproduced these days messages that it allegedly sent or received from politicians in other countries. The state radio also pointed out that Kim, this Sunday, April 26, had sent his congratulations to some workers in the city of Samijiyon, without further details and without his voice being heard.
THE FIRST OPERATION OF KIM JONG-UN
Doubts about Kim’s state of health arose on April 21, when the US network CNN reported that, according to unidentified sources, the North Korean leader was in “serious danger” after a surgical operation.
However, two days later, South Korea’s intelligence services noted that “no unusual situation” was observed in the north.
That same day, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, described this news as “false”.
“I think that news is incorrect (…). The item that was made by a chain was incorrect. I have been told that they used false documents, “he said.
WHAT HAPPENED THEN WITH KIM JONG-UN?
Here are the versions about the state of health of the North Korean leader, whom EFE described, according to different sources, as “obese, a heavy smoker and with old health problems.”
- KIM JONG-UN IS DEAD
The coronavirus pandemic remained the focus of the world’s attention until the TMZ portal reported on Saturday, April 25, that Kim Jong-un had died after cardiac surgery. And although many doubted this information, they also recalled that this medium was the first to publicize the deaths of Michael Jackson and Kobe Bryant. Of course, this time the entertainment medium did not just jump into the pool, but cited Japanese and Chinese media as sources.
Earlier, the deputy director of Hong Kong Satellite TV (HKSTV), Shijian Xingzou, shared on the Chinese social network Weibo with her 15 million followers, citing a “very solid” source that the North Korean leader was dead, although he did not offer more details.
TMZ collected his testimony and published it on his website.
- KIM JONG-UN IS IN PLANT STATE
The Japanese weekly Shukan Gendai, contrary to the version of the death, published that Kim Jong-un has been in a vegetative state since he underwent heart surgery, according to this report, at the beginning of the month.
“He was visiting the field when he grabbed his chest and fell to the ground,” published the magazine, which also reported that a doctor who was with him at that time performed CPR, before his transfer to the hospital.
- KIM JONG-UN IS IN A CRITICAL STATE
The CNN version quotes a group of US officials who claim that Kim’s condition is critical after the surgery, although the report is not entirely certain.
- SEEKING TO VERIFY KIM JONG-UN’S HEALTH STATUS
According to the Reuters news agency, China reportedly sent a medical team to North Korea on Thursday, April 23, to verify Kim Jong-un’s health. The delegation would be commanded by a high-ranking official of the Communist Party of China.
- KIM JONG-UN IS RECOVERING
A different version was the one presented by the Daily NK newspaper, from South Korea, which assured that the North Korean leader is recovering from a cardiovascular operation that he underwent on April 12.
SATELLITE IMAGES LOCATED THE PRIVATE TRAIN OF KIM JONG-UN
Reuters released satellite photos, April 23, of a train belonging to Kim Jong-un parked near his Wonsan vacation complex. However, the whereabouts of the North Korean leader is unknown.
According to the 38North news website, the presence of a formation at a nearby train station that is reserved for the Kim family would suggest that he or someone in his immediate environment has visited the location.
ARE YOU HIDING INFORMATION?
In North Korea, it is common for information related to its dictators to be hidden. For example, when Kim Jong-un’s father Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke in 2008, not much was known about his health.
Only South Korean media indicated that he was undergoing treatment, but it was later revealed that he had died, although the date was unclear and was said to be December 17, 2011.
Due to this background, rumors arise that the North Korean leader has already died, but there is still nothing specific. We have to keep waiting for what official sources from that country say.
