North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (김정은) was reported to be in critical condition on Tuesday (21st April). Some even claimed that he is in coma at the moment.
The confusion came in light of his sudden “disappearance” from the public for several days. Speculations began to mount when Kim Jong Un was absent during the birthday ceremony of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, who was also the founder of the country.
Actually, it was revealed that Jong Un had underwent cardiovascular surgery back on 12th April. However, the current state of the Jong Un remains unsolved among all. To unravel the mystery, here are 4 new updates we know about him for now:
1. He underwent heart surgery
Kim Jong Un was last seen in public on 11th April during a meeting held in his country. After that, he left for a local hospital located in the Hyangsan district for the operation. However, NK Daily has reported that the surgery was a success and his health condition has improved.
2. His heart complication was suspected due to heavy smoking and obesity
The local news outlet further added that Kim Jong Un’s state is getting worse due to obesity as well as the fact that he is a heavy smoker. Additionally, his workaholic lifestyle isn’t helping either. Jong Un’s hobby of horseback riding in Mountain Paektu is also said to be one of the major factors.
3. Brain dead?
American news outlet CNN International came out with a shocking news that Kim Jong Un’s situation has been getting “very bad”. However, the article made it clear for everyone to not merely jump into conclusions.
In addition, Mediaite reported that a journalist from NBC took to Twitter claiming that Kim Jong Un is currently “brain dead”. The tweet was shortly removed after that, because the information received from the active US officials was misinterpreted.
4. South Korea clarifies story
Soon after, the South Korean government then came forth to shed light on the matter. According to NK News, a source from the Blue House claimed that there’s nothing “peculiar” currently happening at neighbouring country North Korea for now.
“We don’t have any information related to the rumour of Kim Jong Un’s poor health condition that has been reported by several press outlets. In addition, there have been no remarkable developments detected at North Korea at the time being,” said the insider.
Sources: Daily NK, Mediaite, NK News.
