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New chapter in the disappearance of Kim Jong-un. Now, the coronavirus enters the scene. Has the North Korean dictator taken refuge from the pandemic in his exclusive villa in Wonsan, on the east coast of the country?
This new idea, which is gaining more and more strength, is what several US officials have pointed out to the Reuters agency. The same thesis is also defended by South Korea. Yesterday, the South Korean Unification Minister, Kim Yeon-chul, insisted that in his country they had not noticed any "unusual activity" and described as "infodemic" all the reports that have come out these days about the health of Kim Jong-un.
In addition, the minister said it was reasonable for Kim to miss her grandfather's anniversary celebration as a "precautionary measure" in the face of the pandemic. "I don't think there is anything unusual given the current situation. Reports that Kim has had heart surgery are false news , " he said.
Precisely, the absence of the leader on April 15, on the 108th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, one of the most important events in the country, was what sparked speculation about his state. The Seoul-based daily NK newspaper run by North Korean defectors reported that the North Korean leader had an operation on April 12 for a cardiovascular condition. Later, the CNN network pointed out that, according to a source from the Trump government, the dictator would be "in serious health." As the days passed and there was no news, speculation about his death began.
The North Korean leader was last seen in public on April 11, when he chaired a meeting of the Workers' Party. Since then, no photos of Kim have appeared in state media as usual. Instead, the main North Korean newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, has published alleged letters written these days by the leader. Like one sent Monday to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, congratulating him on Freedom Day, or an alleged message of thanks to a group of workers in the country who are building a resort in Wonsan.
In that city, several media have been locating the dictator since the weekend. The first were experts from 38 North, a Washington-based North Korean monitoring newspaper, which placed Kim in a luxury villa in the city thanks to satellite imagery. Yesterday, the NK News newspaper said the pleasure boats Kim often used there had been active in the area throughout this month.
Theories about Kim Jong-un's whereabouts and health will follow these days. From being dead, he has become a refugee from the coronavirus in a luxury villa. Although what little we know about the pandemic in the hermetic regime is what they say from Pyongyang. They have kept up the same speech since the outbreak began: "We have no coronavirus patients," Song In Bom, an official with the Emergency Health Committee, often repeats. Although in February they decreed the "national emergency" despite the fact that their propaganda media claimed to have no case of Covid-19 in their territory.
When the coronavirus was already widespread in China, North Korean authorities issued statements mentioning "national survival", urging their officials to take "revolutionary measures". On state television they did not stop transmitting images of Health employees, decked out in protective suits, disinfecting the streets and giving public talks about the symptoms of the disease and the hygiene measures to be taken. They closed their border with China and canceled the few flights from Russia. If they already had little contact with the outside, they were completely isolated. Although from outside its borders, they question the fact that no case of coronavirus has been reported in North Korea.
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