IS this Kim Jong-un’s private train and what does it mean about the health of the North Korean leader?
In the absence of any real proof about the 36-year-old’s well-being or whereabouts, satellite pictures taken over a North Korean compound earlier this month have been circulated widely on the internet.
Provided by the American site 38 North, dedicated to North Korean news and analysis, the shots show the train has been stationary at Kim’s Wonsan “leadership station” on his country’s east coast since at least Tuesday – around one week after questions about his health began, when he failed to attend a commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea.
The annual event is the most important on the country’s calendar, and Kim had not missed it since inheriting power from his father in 2011.
On Saturday, Donald Trump accused CNN of running a “fake report” on Kim’s health after it said an American official had confirmed it was monitoring intelligence that the “supreme leader” was in “grave danger” after undergoing surgery. That followed claims from the Daily NK website that Kim required urgent treatment due to smoking, obesity and fatigue.
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Trump said: “I think the report was incorrect, let me just put it that way. I’m hearing they used old documents.”
Now reports have claimed that Kim – a Swiss-educated basketball fan who developed an unlikely friendship with former NBA star Dennis Rodman in 2013 – may have died while undergoing heart surgery.
Meanwhile, South Korea – still technically at war with its neighbour – says it has seen no indication that Kim is unwell and, according to the New York Times, Pyongyang is “still sending letters and gifts to foreign leaders and domestic workers in the name of its leader”.
Kim has been absent from public for extended periods before, as in 2014 when he was not seen for more than one month following foot surgery.
Given the importance of succession in the secretive, fiercely disciplined, nuclear-armed state, which has been run by the Kim family for seven decades, it’s perhaps no surprise that the matter of whether or not its ruler is alive or dead has gripped the public consciousness across geographical borders and web domains.
But anyone looking to the UK Government to clarity yesterday would have been disappointed.
Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was asked: “Is Kim Jong-un dead?” He replied: “We don’t know. I’ve read the media reports internationally, we haven’t got that corroborated yet but obviously we are following it very carefully.”
Meanwhile, speculation and rumour abound – depending on what you read and who you listen to, not only could Kim Jong-un be dead, he may alternatively be brain dead, fighting for his life, or suffering from coronavirus.
Against that background, many are Googling for answers, with the satellite images of the train the top search for information related to the story yesterday evening.
It’s said that the shuttle “probably” belongs to Kim, while South Korea previously suggested that he was residing outwith his capital, Pyongyang.
According to 38 North: “The train’s presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast.”
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