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Post by Admin on Apr 26, 2020 18:30:28 GMT
Sen. Lindsey Graham says he would be “shocked” if North Korea’s Kim Jong Un wasn’t dead given the country’s silence amid growing speculation about his demise. “It’s a closed society. I haven’t heard anything directly, but I’ll be shocked if he’s not dead or in some incapacitated state because you don’t let rumors like this go forever or go unanswered in a closed society which is really a cult, not a country, called North Korea,” Graham told Fox News host Jeanine Pirro Saturday on “Justice with Judge Jeanine.” The South Carolina senator, who is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, added that he hopes “the long-suffering North Korean people will get some relief if he is dead.” “President Trump is willing to do business with North Korea in a win-win fashion. So if this guy is dead, I hope the guy who takes over will work with President Trump to make North Korea a better place for everybody,” Graham said. Kim is believed to have undergone a stent procedure earlier this month that has prompted rumors to swirl about his health. A Hong Kong broadcast network reported Saturday that Kim died, citing a “very solid source,” while a Japanese magazine claimed late Friday that he is in “a vegetative state.” Kim notably missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung.
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Post by Admin on Apr 28, 2020 5:48:20 GMT
President Donald Trump added to the sense of confusion surrounding the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Monday, appearing to contradict himself during public remarks in the Rose Garden by first telling reporters he had "a very good idea" about Kim's condition, then stating moments later that "nobody knows where he is."
Asked about Kim's status on Monday, Trump said, "I can't tell you, exactly -- yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can't talk about it now. I just wish him well." But later in the same press conference the President told reporters, "He didn't say anything last Saturday. Nobody knows where he is so he obviously couldn't have said it. This is breaking news that Kim Jong Un made a statement on Saturday. I don't think so."
Trump seemed to be referring to Kim's message to workers in the country published in North Korean state-media Sunday but it was not immediately clear.
Last week CNN reported, that the US was monitoring intelligence suggesting Kim was in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery, according to a US official with direct knowledge.
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Post by Admin on Apr 29, 2020 8:30:09 GMT
Kim was absent from a 15 April ceremony to mark the anniversary of the birth of his grandfather – and North Korea’s founder – Kim Il-sung. “We have intelligence capacity that allows us to say confidently that there are no unusual signs [in North Korea],” Kim Yeon-chul told a parliamentary hearing. “He had not missed the anniversary … since taking power, but many anniversary events, including celebrations and a banquet, have been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns. “I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current situation,” he said, describing reports that Kim had undergone heart surgery as “fake news”. US officials told Reuters they believed Kim had taken his private train to the east coast resort town of Wonsan to shelter from the virus. Kim Yeon-chul noted that there had been at least two instances since mid-January when Kim had not been seen in public for almost three weeks.
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Post by Admin on May 1, 2020 18:53:12 GMT
A North Korean defector-turned-South Korea lawmaker claimed Friday he is “99 percent” sure that Kim Jong Un died after surgery — amid swirling speculation about the dictator’s condition. Ji Seong-ho, who earned a proportional representation seat of a minor party in the country’s April 15 elections, told Yonhap News Agency he believes Kim died after his recent surgery and that North Korea will announce it this weekend. “I’ve wondered how long he could have endured after cardiovascular surgery. I’ve been informed that Kim died last weekend,” Ji told the outlet. “It is not 100 percent certain, but I can say the possibility is 99 percent. North Korea is believed to be grappling with a complicated succession issue.” The lawmaker-elect did not reveal the source of his information, and his claim cannot be verified independently, according to the report. He added that Kim Yo Jong, the leader’s sister, is likely to take office in the event of his death, as experts have speculated.
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Post by Admin on May 2, 2020 19:00:11 GMT
It’s all in the wrist — at least when it comes to figuring out what happened to the suddenly undead Kim Jong Un of North Korea. State media released footage Saturday of the portly 38-year-old dictator riding an electric cart around the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer factory with a new, mysterious mark on his wrist, NK News reported. Information about the video and the mark on Kim’s wrist was very limited. A US medical professional told NK News that the small mark might signal a recent cardiovascular procedure, possibly a right, radial artery puncture. Speculation has swirled about Kim’s health since he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and the founder of North Korea. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based publication that bases most of its reports on testimony from North Korean defectors and other sources inside the country, reported last week that Kim might have been recovering from surgery at a coastal resort. It reported Friday that something may have gone wrong for him healthwise “due to either excessive drinking or overwork.”
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