Author|Aunt Bai Editor|Changbai Passer
North Korea, which has been silent for nearly half a year due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, has recently attracted a lot of public opinion due to an explosive news from CNN (Cable News Network).
CNN quoted a U.S. official on April 21, local time in the United States, saying that North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, had fallen into a "critical state" after the operation. Bloomberg News also followed up related reports, saying that the US government learned that Kim Jong-un's physical condition had deteriorated sharply after undergoing cardiovascular surgery last week, and was confirming the details.
However, the above news was subsequently questioned by many international media, including Reuters, Yonhap News Agency and other international media. Based on the news so far, especially the official statements of China, the United States and South Korea, the rumors of "critical illness" may It's nothing.
or cardiovascular surgery "critically ill" rumors have been questioned
Regarding illness, the earliest source of information is the Korean media "Daily NK" that has long focused on North Korea. The media is mainly run by North Korean defectors and has always focused on North Korea's internal trends.
On April 20, Daily NK quoted a source within North Korea as saying that Kim Jong-un underwent cardiovascular surgery at the Xiangshan Clinic of a special hospital in Miaoxiangshan, North Ping’an Province on April 12, and stayed at Xiangshan Villa for treatment after the operation. . The article also stated that Kim Jong-un returned to Pyongyang on April 19 after his condition improved. Currently, only a few doctors stay there to observe the recovery process.
When the US media disclosed the "critical illness" news, South Korean government officials expressed suspicion. Qingwatai spokesperson Kang Minshuo responded immediately, saying, "So far, no abnormal situation within North Korea has been monitored."
South Korea’s "Joongang Daily" quoted a Blue House official on April 22 as saying: "Kim Jong Un is currently in a special place (villa) in Gangwon Province and is carrying out normal activities to provide on-site guidance to surrounding areas." The official said: "Kim Jong-un guided a short-range cruise missile launch in the Muncheon area near Wonsan on the 14th and stayed at the villa in Gangwon-do."
South Korea's National Assembly Foreign Affairs Unification Chairman Yoon Sang-hyun commented on this. It is not true, but considering the situation in Pyongyang and military trends, it does not seem to be enough to completely deny the relevant news." The North Korean side also responded to outside suspicions from the side. The Korean Central News Agency announced on April 21 that Kim Jong-un gave the 80th birthday presents to two meritorious personnel on April 20, and also sent a birthday message to Cuban President Dias Canel.
The recent activities of the top leaders posted on the Korean Central News Agency website.
At the same time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang responded to Kim Jong-un’s health and other related issues at a regular press conference on the same day, saying, “I have seen some news reports, but I don’t know their source. Where is it. China and North Korea are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. China is willing to work with North Korea to promote the continuous development of China-North Korea relations." Reuters quoted an anonymous official from the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as saying that Kim Jong-un has not Critically ill.
In the United States, President Trump replied "not sure" when he received relevant questions at the New Coronavirus Pneumonia Press Conference held at the White House on April 21. He said: "My relationship with Kim Jong Un is very good. I hope he Very good. We will see how his health is. We don’t know if the report is true." When asked if he would try to contact Kim Jong-un and confirm his situation, Trump said: "I may, but I hope he will do everything. All are good." The Associated Press quoted an anonymous U.S. official as saying that the White House had received information that "Kim Jong Un may undergo surgery and cannot live normally due to complications of the operation" before Daily NK made relevant reports. However, the White House said it "only received relevant information, but did not confirm it." It is also worth noting that on April 19, North Korea used the name of "Director of the Foreign Reporting Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Reporting Bureau" to refute US President Trump's so-called "received a letter from Kim Jong Un." Yonhap News Agency believes that from the perspective of North Korea’s political system, it is unlikely that North Korea will release information about Kim JongGood news.
According to Daily NK’s report, Kim Jong-un’s cardiovascular surgery was performed by the chief surgeon at Kim Man Yoo Hospital in Pyongyang, and the "No. 1" specialist doctors from the Korean Red Cross General Hospital and Pyongyang Medical University Hospital also gathered at the Xiangshan Clinic.
An Canri, an expert on North Korea who was a defector, raised questions in an interview with Agence France-Presse. In his view, "(North Korea's medical conditions are poor) only Pyongyang is capable of performing precision surgery."
South Korea’s "North Korea Research Institute" professor Liang Moo-jin said that if Kim Jong-un really had a problem, North Korea would definitely declare that the border between North Korea and China had entered a "special alert state", but this has not happened at all.
The top leader’s health issues have become the focus of
Kim Jong-un’s last public appearance in North Korean state media was on April 12. At that time, KCNA reported that Kim Jong-un recently inspected the fighter regiment belonging to the aviation and air defense divisions in the western region. In the photo, he is dressed in white casual clothes and looks good. But the photo does not indicate the date of shooting. On April 11, he also presided over the Politburo meeting of the ruling Labor Party.
On April 12, 2020, the Korean Central News Agency released an undated photo in which Kim Jong Un was inspecting an air defense wing in the western region.
But then, he disappeared from public view, especially on the birthday anniversary of his grandfather Kim Il Sung on April 15 (that is, North Korea’s Sun Festival) absent from related activities, which caused the outside world to doubt his health. After all, since taking power in 2012, Kim Jong-un has never been absent from the visit to the Jinxiu Mountain Sun Palace.
On April 16, 2020, the Korean Central News Agency released photos of an event to commemorate the birthday of Kim Il-sung at the Sun Palace in Jinxiu Mountain, Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un rarely attended the event.
According to Yoon Sang-hyun, Chairman of the Korean National Assembly for Foreign Affairs and Unification, "The Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea was postponed from April 10 to 12, but Chairman Kim did not attend." "There has never been a failure to attend the Supreme People’s Assembly. Case". Before the rumors of "critical illness" appeared, South Korea had stated that North Korea had launched a short-range cruise missile on the east coast on April 14 as part of the Sun Festival celebrations. Kim Jong-un usually participates in such activities, but North Korean official media did not report on the launch.
Although the above signs are abnormal, it is not uncommon for top North Korean leaders to leave public view for a period of time.
In 2008, Kim Jong Il disappeared from public view for several months, and it was finally confirmed that it was a stroke. Since September 2014, Kim Jong-un has also disappeared from public view for more than a month, triggering rumors from all walks of life, including a coup. After that, the North Korean Central Television broadcasted a scene of him walking and limping and admitted that he was in poor health. South Korean intelligence officials said that Kim Jong-un had a cyst on his ankle, which has been removed and may recur.
Daily NK quoted a source as saying: "The head of state has been unwell since August last year, but it has become more serious when he has visited Baektu Mountain recently." "Baektu Mountain has low air pressure, blood pressure and cardiovascular problems. Stay for a long time.” The article analyzed that Kim Jong-un visited Baitou Mountain (known as Changbai Mountain in China) in December last year, so it is likely that the recent successive inspections of troops and presiding over the Politburo meetings of the Party Central Committee have affected health.
South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo speculates that if Kim Jong-un has a heart attack, it is likely to be a myocardial infarction. This aspect stems from his family history-Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are both believed to have died of acute myocardial infarction (Note: North Korea has not confirmed this). On the other hand, Kim Jong-un is believed to suffer from abdominal obesity and high blood pressure, and his addiction to smoking is not small, and these are all prone to myocardial infarction.
Clues of North Korean political succession
As the "critically ill" news continues to ferment, the outside world focuses on Kim Jong-un's sister, the first deputy minister of the Central Committee of the Labor Party, Kim Yo-jung. Many people predict that when an emergency occurs, she, who also has Baekdusan descent, may act as "Kim Jong-un's agent."
In recent years, whenever important events concerning the top leaders are held, Kim Yo-jung is indispensable. she wasHe was promoted to a member of the Central Committee of the Labor Party in May 2016 and to an alternate member of the Politburo in October 2017, achieving speedy promotion. During the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February 2018, she was dispatched to serve as Kim Jong Un's special envoy. Now, she has accompanied her brother to meet with leaders of China, the United States and South Korea. In recent US-North Korea summits, she is also considered to have played an important role.
The Huazheng Peace Foundation, a subsidiary of South Korea's "Dong-A Ilbo", conducted an expert questionnaire survey with 102 research committee members from the four major security think tanks including the Unification Research Institute in April 2016 before the 7th Party Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea . For the question of "Who is the second person in North Korea after the Party Congress", 23% of the respondents chose Kim Yo-jung, then the first deputy minister of the Propaganda Department of the Workers’ Party.
Following the unsuccessful negotiations at the Hanoi Summit between the United States and North Korea held in February last year, the Political Bureau of the Workers’ Party of Korea was reorganized in April of the same year. Kim Yo-jung ceased to serve as an alternate member of the Politburo and was changed to the first deputy minister of the Central Committee in December of the same year. Some observations believe that Kim Yo-jung, who originally belonged to the Propaganda Department, was transferred to the Organizational Guidance Department at the end of last year. The Organizational Guidance Department is called the "Party in the Party" and is the highest authority in North Korea that has party, government, and military personnel rights and censorship rights. department. At the most recent Politburo meeting of the Labor Party on April 11, Kim Yoo-jung resumed his status as an alternate member of the Politburo.
On April 11, 2020, Kim Jong-un presided over the Politburo meeting of the Labor Party, but was absent from the Supreme People’s Assembly the next day.
According to the Japanese "Yomiuri Shimbun" on April 22, Pyongyang made a decision when the Labor Party Central Committee convened at the end of last year. If Chairman Kim Jong-un was unable to exercise his duties due to death or other reasons, all powers would be transferred to Kim Yo-jong. carried out. A related source told the newspaper that "after that (decision), there have been several orders issued to the party, government, and army in the name of Kim Yo-jung."
A month ago, Kim Yu-jung made an exception and made a series of talks to South Korea and the United States in his own name, which was considered to be a rise in political status. Following her critical remarks against South Korea on March 2, she published Trump's letter in North Korean media on March 22. This letter expresses the willingness of the United States to help North Korea fight the new coronavirus. Kim Yo-jung said that Trump's letter was "correct judgment and decent behavior." Some analysts believe that starting this year, North Korea may have launched a "Baektou brother and sister rule."
In addition, Kim Jong-un's aunt, Jin Jing-hee, appeared on January 25 this year, after 6 years and 4 months, and sat side by side with Kim Jong-un and his wife and Kim Yo-jung to watch the performance. "Yomiuri Shimbun" analyzed that this was because "Kim Kyong-hee once assisted Kim Jong-il. As a close friend of Kim Jong-un, her appearance may be intended to help Kim Yo-jung enhance his authority."
A screenshot from North Korea’s CCTV shows that on January 25, 2020, Kim Jong-un and his family watched a festival performance at the Sanjiyeon Theater.
Speaking of North Korea’s political succession, Robert O&39;Brien, the National Security Affairs Assistant to the President of the United States, said in a TV show on April 21: "It is basically assumed to be someone in the family. But talking about Kim Jong-un. The status is too early."
* This article was created by the tree project author Observatory, published exclusively on Today’s Toutiao, and may not be reproduced without authorization.
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