North Korea's Kim Jong Un

misses key event

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, accompanied by senior army ofcials, in 201!
"Kns#$%&#'etty (mages)
*y $nna %i+eld ,ctober 10 at 2-./ $0
TOKYO The mystery surrounding the whereabouts and status of Kim Jong Un
deepened on Friday, when the North Korean leader missed a celebration for the !th
anni"ersary of the founding of the Korean #or$ers% &arty'
(t is now more than fi"e wee$s since Kim was seen in public, and his absence, coupled
with surprisingly fran$ official reports that he is suffering from )discomfort* ha"e
spar$ed rumors of e"ery malady from obesity to o"erthrow'
+s with most things concerning North Korea, the truth remains far from clear' ,ut the
state-run Korean .entral News +gency notably left Kim/s name off a list of dignitaries
who paid their respects early Friday morning to his father and grandfather, Kim Jong
(l and Kim (l 0ung, at the mausoleum where both lie'
(t has become a ritual for top leaders to go to the mausoleum 1 a huge, marble-halled
palace on the outs$irts of &yongyang officially $nown as the Kumsusan &alace of the
0un 1 2ust after midnight as the anni"ersary begins'
,ut the news agency reported only that a bas$et of flowers bearing the current leader/s
name was placed before statues of the first two Kims in the world/s only communist
dynasty' (t was the first time since he succeeded his father almost three years ago that
Kim Jong Un had missed the e"ent'
3arlier, the 4odong 0inmun, the mouthpiece of the #or$ers/ &arty, reported that Kim
Jong Un was )the symbol of the Korean #or$ers/ &arty/s dignity and in"incibility, the
banner of all "ictory and honorm'*
5#e must firmly establish the monolithic leadership system of Kim Jong Un,5 the
paper declared' (t ran a large picture of the two elder Kims on its front page,
accompanying the story, but there was no photo of the current leader'
(n 0outh Korea, officials tried to put the bra$es on speculation about Kim/s health and
whereabouts'
0outh Korea/s unification ministry, which is in charge of relations with the North, said
that it appeared to be business as usual in &yongyang'
5(t seems that Kim Jong Un%s rule is in normal operation,5 spo$esman 6im ,yeong-
cheol told reporters, according to Yonhap News +gency' 5 #ith regard to his specific
health conditions, our go"ernment has no information to confirm yet,5 he said'
The )7reat 0uccessor,* as he is $nown, was last seen in &yongyang on 0ept' 8 attending
a concert with his wife' The rumor mill went into o"erdri"e when, a few wee$s later,
Korean .entral T9 said was in an )indisposed condition'*
&re"ious footage showed Kim, who has noticeably put on weight since acceding to the
leadership, wal$ing with a pronounced limp' This has led to speculation he is suffering
from gout or diabetes, or that he bro$e both of his an$les under the strain of his
weight'
,ut analysts say that speculation he has been o"erthrown appears unfounded, gi"en
that North Korea appears to be carrying on as usual' (n particular, senior officials ha"e
been tra"elling widely, unli$ely if there was serious turmoil at home'
( thin$ he/s reco"ering from something, but other than that, e"erything is
speculation,* said :aniel &in$ston, a Korea analyst at the (nternational .risis 7roup'
)#hat we can conclude is "ery limited, but it seems li$e e"erything is pretty much as
usual up there'*
(n the latest flare-up in tensions between the two Koreas, soliders in the North fired
guns across the border towards the 0outh on Friday, after acti"ists floated huge
balloons full of anti-Kim leaflets northward' 0outh Korea returned fire, the defense
ministry said, according to reports from 0eoul, but it was not clear Friday night
whether there had been any casualties'
$nna %i+eld is 1he &ost2s b3rea3 chie4 in 1okyo, 4oc3sing on
Japan and the Koreas! 5he previo3sly reported 4or the %inancial
1imes 4rom 6ashington 78, 5eo3l, 5ydney, 9ondon and 4rom
across the 0iddle :ast!
&osted by Tha"am