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In recent days, two conversations prevailed in Asia that have monopolized the informational spectrum: the coronavirus monotheme and the health of Kim Jong-un. According to some media, the North Korean leader, absent from some of the country's most important celebrations, would be in serious condition after having surgery for a cardiovascular condition on April 12.

The latest news, unveiled by Reuters, is that China would have sent a team of senior officials from the Communist Party's International Liaison Department to North Korea on Thursday, including several doctors, amid all speculation about the state. from the North Korean leader.

The Seoul-based daily NK newspaper run by North Korean defectors reported on Monday that Kim had an operation on April 12 for a cardiovascular condition due to his "excessive smoking, obesity and overwork." He would now be receiving treatment at a villa in Hyangsan County, outside Pyongyang, and would be in "grave danger . "

A day later, it was the US chain CNN that alerted the leader to his delicate health based on the testimony of a Trump government official, who highlighted the absence of Kim Jong-un on April 15 to the 108th anniversary of the birth of his grandfather. Kim Il Sung, one of the most important events in the country, which started to spread rumors about his health. His last public appearance was on April 11, when he chaired a meeting of the Workers' Party.

But both from Seoul and Washington officially questioned the reports, stating that they "had not detected any signs of unusual activity in North Korea." This Thursday, Donald Trump himself spoke about Kim Jong-un's health. "I think the report was incorrect," said Trump. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also spoke during an interview on Fox News. "I have nothing I can share with you tonight, but the American people should know that we are observing the situation very carefully," Pompeo said. Yesterday, a South Korean government source told Reuters that his reports pointed to Kim being alive and that he would likely appear soon.

Reuters has been unable to obtain any official confirmation of the Chinese delegation's trip to North Korea. The Liaison Department and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not want to answer the agency's questions.

China is North Korea's main ally, a national completely isolated from the rest of the world. Little is known of what is really happening within its borders. But the information that Beijing has sent doctors to Pyongyang recalls when in 2008, Kim Jong-il, the father of the current leader, suffered a stroke and was treated by Chinese doctors. Three years later, he passed away from a heart attack.

These days, in the face of rumors, many have wondered what would happen in one of the most hermetic regimes in the world if Kim Jong-un died at 36. She has no older children, so the first name that has sounded in an alleged succession is that of her younger sister and one of her top advisers, Kim Yo-jong, whose exact age is unknown. She studied in Switzerland, like her brother, and in 2014 she was named deputy director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party. A month ago, his brother promoted him as a substitute member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee.

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