North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is believed to be recovering from recent surgery, South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday, as the communist nation rejected reports questioning Kim's health as a "conspiracy plot." Speculation has intensified that Kim may have taken ill after he missed a parade Tuesday commemorating the communist state's founding 60 years ago. That followed weeks of being absent from public view and rumors that foreign doctors were brought to the isolated nation to possibly treat him.
On Wednesday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported to a parliamentary committee that it obtained intelligence reports showing Kim recently had surgery for an unspecified circulatory problem, and his condition had much improved, an agency official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing office policy, did not elaborate. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing lawmakers briefed by the spy agency, reported that the 66-year-old Kim suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, but he remains conscious and "is able to control the situation." The NIS also reported to lawmakers that Kim is in a "recoverable and manageable condition," and that the North is not in a "power vacuum," Yonhap said. NIS officials said they could not confirm the Yonhap report. Earlier in the day, North Korean officials denied that Kim may be ill or that there was anything unusual about his absence from the parade. Song Il Ho, a senior diplomat, said reports of Kim's illness are "worthless" and a "conspiracy plot," adding Western media "have reported falsehoods before," according to Kyodo's dispatch from Pyongyang.
It was not the first time North Korea had sent a message to the outside world through Kyodo. Kim Yong Nam also gave the news organization an interview two days after North Korea carried out its first-ever nuclear test blast in 2006. In another indication that the North's leader is alive, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim sent a birthday greeting Wednesday to Syria's leader. Kim wished Syrian President Bashar Assad good health and success in efforts to make the country secure and prosperous, according to the Korean-language message carried by KCNA. Early Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting in Seoul to discuss the situation with senior aides, an official at the presidential Blue House said. Lee's office said in a statement after the meeting that the government will continue to follow the situation closely. It said Seoul had predicted the North's leader may not attend Tuesday's event, but did not elaborate. Seoul's Defense Ministry said there has been no unusual movement in North Korea's military and the heavily armed border between the two sides remained calm.
Speculation over Kim's condition spiked Tuesday after he did not appear at a parade commemorating North Korea's founding 60 years ago, one of the country's most celebrated holidays along with the birthdays of Kim and his late father, Kim Il Sung, the country's founding leader. Kim, who has been rumored to be in varying degrees of ill health for years, took over the reclusive state upon the death of his father 14 years ago in a hereditary transfer of power. The younger Kim attended the parade on the 50th and 55th anniversaries and was widely expected to do so this year as well. [End of report]
It was definitely strange not to see him attending the anniversary parade because I am used to see him at the event in the past, so it definitely raised a few eyebrows and hence the speculation on what could possibly happen to him. At the same time, it was not surprising to hear that he is ill or could be suffering from any illness. Everyone knows the attitude of North Korea, and it is also no surprise that they are keeping mum on the situation. Whatever that he might be suffering from, I think it could be something serious even though the North Korean officials are downplaying the reports. We definitely know that he had gone for a surgery recently, but nobody knows the reason for it, or whether he is doing well after the surgery. I dont think you can blame the West for trying to speculate on what might be happening at the moment because they are obviously concern on every development in North Korea due to the current nuclear talks, so the talks about it being a 'conspiracy plot' I think is not right. Although there have been some progress made on the N.Korea nuclear programme, both countries (N.Korea and America) are still suspicious of each other and this would not help to ease the tension.
Currently, nobody knows what has happened to Kim. There are even talks that he might have died already. I doubt that the reports of him dying is true though but what will happen to the country should he be gone? There will definitely be a lot of problems for sure not only for North Korea but for countries such as America and their neighbouring countries as well, South Korea and China in particular. Neither China nor South Korea want to see a chaotic transition, in part because that might mean tens of thousands of refugees pouring across their borders and some people have even suggested that there could be a civil war in the country. Being a dictator, Kim has made certain that the country's senior military officers are on his side hence, he will not have a shortage of people who could replace him should the situation arise. Speculation often centers on one of his three sons, but again that doesnt necessarily have to be the outcome. It would be good if any of his generals are pick to replace him because Kim and his generals agree on the key policy that concerns the outside world such as their nuclear weapons.
Nevertheless, I think the situation in North Korea and its relationship with the outside world won't be changing much if there is a new leader or not. The world needs to know more about what is happening in the country but knowing their attitude, they wont be giving out much. There are still some elements of fear in them of the outside world and they probably don't trust anybody else even though they are starting to open up gradually. Until then, let the guessing game continue.
*The report was taken from AP.
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