South Korea Confident That Rumors of Kim Jong-un Illness Are Wrong

[Zorro]

Source: New York Times

Comments by the country’s unification minister represent the South’s most categorical rebuttal of reports that the North’s leader may be incapacitated.

South Korea is confident that there is no basis to the recent swirl of rumors that the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, ​is gravely ill, ​the South’s chief policymaker on the North​ said in comments reported on Monday.

“Our government has enough information-gathering capabilities to say confidently that there is nothing unusual” about Mr. Kim’s health, Kim Yeon-chul, South Korea’s unification minister, said during a forum on Sunday. Video footage of his comments was ​made available on Monday.

The comments were South Korea’s most categorical rebuttal yet of the recent reports about the North Korean leader, some of which said that he was “in grave danger” or had become “brain-dead” or was in a “vegetative state” after botched heart-valve surgery​.

​It is highly unusual for a senior South Korean official to publicly dispute news reports about what is happening inside North Korea’s secretive leadership. Normally, South Korean officials maintain a neither-confirm-nor-deny policy, at least on the record, for fear of disturbing sensitive relations between the two Koreas.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/world/asia/kim-jong-un-health.html

[The Magistrate]

1. My Inclination, Sir, Is To Prefer Statements From South Korean Officials Over Any Others

There is no doubt they have better sources than anyone else.

[sfstaxprep]

3. I Don't Trust Governments Anymore

I have more faith in TMZ at this point. If I had to bet money, it would be to bet that we never see or hear from Mr. Kim again.

[The Magistrate]

4. Events Will Tell The Tale, Sir

You do not really make a compelling argument for your view.

[sfstaxprep]

5. True....

So where is he? I realize North Korea is very secretive, but if he is really in o.k. shape, why hasn't he been seen for most of April? He's like Drumpf. He can't stand being out of the public eye.

I'll be glad to buy you a virtual beer if he turns out to be alive and well.

[The Magistrate]

6. Sequestering To Avoid Contagion Is a Reasonable Guess, Sir

That might also account for the reports of a team of Chinese specialists.

[sfstaxprep]

8. I Guess We'll Find Out Eventually

Either he's going to live the rest of his life like Richard Simmons, or he'll have to show himself at some point.

[The Magistrate]

10. I Expect So, Sir

Be well, and stay safe!

[cstanleytech]

9. Or another possibility is that he is either dead or incapacitated and S. Korea knows but

they made this statement because they are afraid it could cause issues with the succession and potentially lead to an attack at a time when they would probably receive very little help from the US both due to the virus and due to a US President that fancies himself as a version of Kim but with tinier hands.

[The Magistrate]

11. A Lot Of Moving Parts To That, Sir

Simpler just to stay quiet. Hard to see how South Korea saying he was fine when he was really vegetative or dead would affect a succession quarrel in the north.

[cstanleytech]

14. Not necessarily affect the succession but it could piss off whoever

ends up winning.

[The Magistrate]

15. It Just Seems An Unecessary Complication, Sir

Far simpler to take the South Korean government at its word, and bear in mind they certainly have better sources in the north than anyone else.

[cstanleytech]

17. Oh I'm sure they have their sources but even sources can be wrong.

I think we're just going to wait and see and be prepared for anything.

[sfstaxprep]

2. I Think They're Full Of It

"Nothing Unusual" about Mr. Kim's health? They're not even admitting that he supposedly had a serious medical procedure.

Where the hell is he if everything is fine?

South Korea is lying like a Drumpf Administration flunkie.

[get the red out]

7. Confirmation

Confirmation wouldn’t be worth crazy sis from shooting a nuke at Seoul to cement her new leadership. JMO, and they sure can’t count on the US having their ass now.

[NeoGreen]

13. I'm not so sure we would be able to ignore or step back from a surprise conflict...

...since we have almost 30K of military personnel on the ground there.

It would look worse than bad if drumpf abandoned them in the midst of an attack by the North.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Forces_Korea

Components

Eighth United States Army; Headquarters: Camp Humphreys, South Korea; authorized about 20,000 Soldiers
Seventh Air Force; Headquarters: Osan Air Base, South Korea; authorized about 8,000 Airmen
Commander Naval Forces Korea (CNFK); Headquarters: Yongsan Garrison, South Korea; authorized about 300 Sailors
Marine Forces Korea (MARFORK); Headquarters: Yongsan Garrison, South Korea; authorized about 100 Marines
Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR): Headquarters: Camp Kim, Yongsan, South Korea; authorized about 100 members

FWIW, I've been to Humphreys, Osan, Kim, and Yongsan at one point or another in my past, plus technically, I've been to North Korea.

[disndat]

12. Did I read somewhere

that Trump said Kim J. Un is in a vegetable state?

[murielm99]

16. The Peoples' Republic of Carrot?

Tomato?

[Coventina]

18. One simple fix to all this: Proof of life

[soryang]

19. this has been the view in South Korea since the 23rd

...when it was first reported by Donga media outlets.

The avalanche of English language reports started with the NK Daily report that Kim had had cardiovascular surgery and was in serious condition. The NK Daily report had a single unlikely source in North Korea according to their allegations. They misrepresented the number of their sources allegedly in North Korea from the outset.

A media and internet frenzy if not propaganda campaign followed in which Kim was variously described as in critical condition, in a coma, or dead. One report originating in Japan showed Kim in a badly photoshopped image taken of his father's glass display coffin. The NK Daily story had only one unidentified source alleged to be inside North Korea, but started an avalanche of speculative news reports around the world based on nothing but rumors and hearsay from unreliable sources. Donga.com has been updating their English language translation of their original report:

[exclusive] Kim Jong Un seen to be walking around in Wonsan, says U.S. official
Posted April. 25, 2020 10:23, Updated April. 27, 2020 09:00
jkim

It has been reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who has recently become subject to rumors about his health moved to Wonsan to avoid COVID-19. The U.S. authorities captured Kim walking on his own.

“It has been identified that Kim Jong Un had been staying in Wonsan during the entire last week,” said a U.S. government official. “He was seen to be walking on his own between April 15 and 20.” It has been reported that the movements of Kim’s cars and close associates were also witnessed and Kim was walking on his own without help from others or being in a wheelchair. The U.S. authorities seem to have identified such information based on the analysis of radars and images captured by reconnaissance planes.

http://www.donga.com/en/home/article/all/20200425/2047198/1/Kim-Jong-Un-seen-to-be-walking-around-in-Wonsan-says-U-S-official

The source as reported in the original Donga reports was the US, as related by two South Korean government sources. The information was related to Donga media in an exclusive by 2 unnamed officials from the Ministry of Defense and the South Korean administration.

According to JTBC News April 26 an unnamed source from the Chinese International Liaison Office told them directly today that they had sent health care teams to North Korea to advise Kim concerning coronavirus concerns by the North Korean government.

[flibbitygiblets]

20. Lil' Kim has missed two major celebrations in the past 2 weeks, and that's unheard of

Their "Army Day" thingy was last weekend, and even more suspiciously, his grandfather's birthday memorial on 4/15. He's NEVER missed grandpa's birthday shindig before.

Now, it's not the first time the NK dictator has been out of the public eye, in 2014 he wasn't seen for 6 weeks, then re-emerged with a cane following what we were told was "ankle cyst surgery". But the fact that he missed the 4/15 celebration the day after NK did some cruise missile tests on 4/14--and there's a report that there may have been an accident. We know how Kim likes to be present for such military tests, so it's possible he was injured.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kim-jong-un-misses-north-korea-army-day-celebration-amid-questions-about-health/