Kim Jong Un in Critical Condition After Surgery

The U.S. government has extensive contingency plans in place for an eventual death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that factor in expectations of a mass-scale humanitarian crisis inside the country, Fox News has learned.



Sources discussed those plans amid conflicting reports about the reclusive North Korean leader's health. Those same sources urge caution about these reports, which have claimed he's facing serious health issues after a cardiovascular procedure.

While his condition is unclear, a well-placed defense intelligence source told Fox News on Tuesday that the U.S. government has extensive plans in place for when Kim is gone, taking into account all the complications that could arise from his eventual death.



The official described the likelihood of a huge humanitarian crisis within North Korea that could include millions of people facing starvation and a mass exodus of North Korean refugees into China. Intelligence sources told Fox News that part of the plan would be to rely heavily on China to step in and help manage the situation on the ground inside North Korea, partly due to China's proximity and partly due to logistical challenges of the U.S. providing humanitarian assistance.

The Daily NK, an online news periodical based in Seoul, which is run mostly by North Korean defectors, has reported that Kim, 36, was recovering from his April 12 surgery at a resort county villa on the east coast. The report said Kim has been in bad health because of heavy smoking, obesity and overwork.

But specifics on Kim's condition remain unclear, as North Korea has been notorious for withholding and distorting news inside its borders.



South Korean officials downplayed the implications of these reports, noting no unusual activity in North Korea.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said, in response to the reports, that “it’s not true” and that there was “no specific trend.”

“We have no information to confirm regarding rumors about Chairman Kim Jong Un’s health issue that have been reported by some media outlets,” South Korean presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said. “Also, no unusual developments have been detected inside North Korea.”



Speculation often surfaces about North Korea’s leadership based on attendance at important state events. An intelligence source told Fox News Monday that there have been suspicions that Kim was unwell since April 15 after he did not attend North Korea’s most important holiday, the birthday of his grandfather Kim II Sung.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency has claimed Kim presided over a meeting on April 11 discussing coronavirus prevention and electing his sister as an alternate member of the political bureau of the ruling Workers’ Party. State media have since reported that Kim also sent greetings to Syrian President Bashar Assad and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as well as “birthday spreads” to two North Korean officials and a new centenarian.

Rumors swirling that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fallen critically ill have sparked fears that his demise would destabilize the region and lead to a refugee crisis that would draw in the US, South Korea and possibly other allies, according to a report.

Questions about the reclusive dictator’s health flared after he missed an April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, the Hermit Kingdom’s founder Kim Il Sung.



On Wednesday, North Korean state media published some past comments by Kim without mentioning his current whereabouts — while rival South Korea repeated that no unusual developments had been detected in the North.

But even if the 36-year-old overweight despot isn’t moribund, he does have health issues and a possible end to his rule would create turmoil, experts told the Military Times.



Although Kim has no named successor or heir apparent, his younger sister — senior ruling party official Kim Yo Jong — appears to be the most likely candidate to step in.

However, some experts believe a collective leadership, which could end the family’s dynastic rule, also could be possible.

The lack of a designated heir means there will be “chaos, human suffering, instability,” retired South Korean special operations chief Lt. Gen. Chun In-Bum told Military Times. “It’s bad news for everyone.”

David Maxwell, a retired Special Forces colonel and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told the outlet that an American and South Korean military reaction to such an upheaval could require an effort that “will make Afghanistan and Iraq pale in comparison.”