North Korean news agency releases photos of Kim Jong Un to debunk claims he's in a coma
After rumours swirled that North-Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been in a coma and his recent appearances were faked, the country’s state media agency has released new photos of the leader, hoping to debunk the claims.
The photos, released by the Korean Central News Agency and syndicated to the Associated Press on Aug. 26, appear to show Kim speaking at a government meeting about prevention measures for the coronavirus and typhoon Bavi.
According to the Associated Press, it indicated that it was not able to independently verify the authenticity, location, or date of the images.
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 is in extremely poor health. Recent appearances by the dictator, he claimed, have in fact been faked.
“I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended,” the ex-diplomat said, adding that Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, 33, has now been pushed front and centre. Speaking with South Korean media, he said:
“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.”
This kind of speculation about Kim’s health and the future of North Korea’s leadership isn’t new. Back in April, Reuters reported that China had sent a team of medical experts to look after Kim after reports came out that there might have been complications following a cardiovascular surgery.
South Korean government officials and a Chinese official with the Liaison Department challenged subsequent reports, and Kim was seen a few weeks later at a factory opening in Pyongyang.
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