Kim Jong-un misses Workers' Party event amid rumours North Korean leader has been ousted [View all]

[Mister Nightowl]

Source: The Independent (UK)

Heather Saul
Friday 10 October 2014

The absence of Kim Jong-un at the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party has further fuelled speculation as to the whereabouts of the North Korean leader.

Kim has not been seen in public for a month, prompting wide-ranging rumours that the overweight leader has finally succumbed to his addiction to Swiss cheese, is suffering from gout, or has even been moved out of the state capital after an attempted coup.

The 31-year-old apparently did not attend the 69th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's Workers' Party on Friday, a major event in the state calendar. An official state media dispatch listed senior government, military and party officials who paid their respects at the ceremony, but not Kim.

It said a flower basket with Kim's name on it was placed before statues of his father and grandfather, both of whom also ruled North Korea. State media said earlier that the might of the party "is growing stronger under the seasoned guidance of Marshal Kim Jong-un".

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/kim-jongun-misses-workers-party-event-amid-rumours-north-korean-leader-has-been-deposed-9786422.html

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I'll sticking to the "corpse" theory.

Note to mods: This is not the same item I posted about Kim not visiting the shrine; the fact that he has missed this major Party gathering is much more significant.