Kim Jong Un is in a coma, says a South Korean diplomat
Kim Jong Un, the 36-year-old leader of North Korea, has been absent from state affairs of late, fuelling renewed speculation over his health, Fox News reports .
According to the New York Post , Chang Song-min, a diplomat and former aide to South Korea’s late president Kim Dae-jung, has claimed that Kim Jong Un is in a coma. “I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended,” he said.
Speaking with South Korean media, Chang suggested that Kim Yo Jong, the leader’s 33-year-old sister, will take the reins.
“A complete succession structure has not been formed, so Kim Yo-jong is being brought to the fore as the vacuum cannot be maintained for a prolonged period.”
The claim comes hot on the heels of a report from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service last week stating that “Kim Yo-jong, the first vice department director of the Workers’ Party Central Committee, is steering overall state affairs on the delegation,” although, they said, her brother maintains “absolute authority.”
The South Korean spy agency also said that part of Kim’s leadership had been delegated to aides, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, according to Yonhap News Agency .
Because information out of North Korea is scarce, doubts continue to swirl about the claims.
However, this is not the first time that Kim’s absence has fuelled speculation about his health. In April, after Kim disappeared from the public eye for nearly three weeks, reports circulated that he had undergone heart surgery.
Though the absence meant that Kim missed an important state event – the commemoration to mark the birthday of his late grandfather, the founder of North Korea – officials never provided an explanation.
Instead, after 20 days a video was released showing Kim walking and waving during a ceremony to mark the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang in North Korea.
There was also a six-week disappearance in 2014, after which Kim reappeared using a cane and electric cart. According to South Korea’s spy agency, the reason was the removal of an ankle cyst.
