Home ›› 26 Apr 2020 ›› World Biz
Rumours are circulating claiming North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is dead - while other media reports claim he is in a "vegetative state".
A vice director of Hong Kong Satellite Television (HKSTV) said the Kim was dead and cited a “very solid source,” according to the New York Post.
The claim appeared in a post on Chinese messaging app Weibo as well, which has since been shared widely.
Meanwhile, a Japanese magazine reported that the North Korean leader was in a vegetative state after undergoing heart surgery earlier this month. Other reports said the operation went wrong.
News site Monthly Chosun reported a source saying the North Korean leader was in a coma.
"It is coma. In fact, it was judged impossible to regenerate," the source said.
Chinese medical personnel were believed to have been dispatched to Pyongyang.
However, none of these claims have been confirmed as yet.
Kim Jong-un has not appeared in public since he presided over a meeting on April 11, and his absence from 'Day of the Sun' celebrations on April 15 has fuelled speculation about his health as he never missed it.
The annual event celebrates the birthday of North Korea's founding father Kim Il-sung, Kim's grandfather.
However, both South Korean and Chinese officials have challenged suggestions that the ruler is in grave danger medically.
(Source: Daily Mirror, New York Post)
/teb
