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Unverified claims circulating on social media say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in a coma after suffering a brain hemorrhage, prompting analysts to watch Pyongyang for either a show of public mourning or evidence that he is alive and well.
The claims, which have not been confirmed, say Kim was rushed out of North Korea for emergency treatment because of what online users describe as poor medical facilities in Pyongyang. According to the speculation, he was taken to Peking Union Medical College in Beijing.
Kim was last seen in public on October 11, when he toured a new defense museum at an undisclosed location in Pyongyang. His 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, accompanied him, according to photographs from the visit.
Benedict Rogers, a North Korea analyst, said he expected the government to release evidence of Kim’s well-being in response to the rumors. Speaking to The Sun’s YouTube channel, From The Newsroom, he noted that similar stories have surfaced before.
“He doesn’t look a well man,” Rogers said, adding that the leader is “extremely overweight.”
Rogers said that when a North Korean supreme leader has died in the past, the state has staged an “orchestrated outpouring of public grief,” with crowds wailing in the streets and newsreaders appearing visibly emotional. No such scenes have emerged, he said. Either they will, he suggested, or, if Kim is alive, the authorities will release proof.
Rumors about Kim’s health are not new. In 2020, a wave of social media speculation claimed he had died after he disappeared from public view for several months. During that episode, a former diplomat claimed Kim was in a coma and ready to hand power to his sister, Kim Yo Jong.
Experts say Kim Yo Jong, 38, who already wields significant influence within the nuclear-armed government, would take the reins if her brother died. Analysts believe she would serve as an interim leader until Kim Ju Ae is old enough to lead.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang was considering deploying additional tactical weapons near the border with South Korea.
South Korean intelligence officials have long said Kim Ju Ae is her father’s heir apparent, though she has not been officially named his successor.
She made her first public appearance in November 2022 at a missile launch, and she accompanied her father on a state visit to China last year. If she ever took power, she would be the first woman to lead North Korea in its dynastic history.
One insider told The Sun that as the daughter of the leader, she would be expected to play “the bloodsport of politics,” which would require removing disloyal aides “through violent means.”
Earlier this month, reports citing South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Kim’s diet of steak and lobster had left him “extremely obese.”
The agency said he weighs more than 310 pounds (140 kilograms) at 5 feet 7 inches tall, a level that puts him at serious risk of cardiovascular disease. His heavy smoking has also raised questions about who would succeed him.
Kim took power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, who ruled from 1994 until 2011. In 2013, Kim had his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executed by firing squad.
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