Aug UPD: More coma/death rumours surrounding Chairmain Kim of DPRK

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by Slava

If he does die, I hope they televise the funeral. The one for his father was incredibly interesting. Late 80's, brand new limos, hysterical crying and over the top displays of emotion by the troops. It was really something to see.

Yes I'm sure there are severe consequences for not crying enough. It would be interesting to know if any of it is sincere.

[wwkayaker]

Isn’t his sister a possibility? I don’t know if a woman would be considered. It can’t be as messy as an anti aircraft gun could it.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Wasn’t there a member here who went and visited and bought their propaganda hook, line, and sinker? I wonder how they’re taking this

I recall someone posting their details of their trip, but I don't recall them buying into all the propaganda.
Though, if I recall, I think it may have been an Oilers Fan.

[Robo]

I'm not used to seeing good news in 2020 which makes me think he will come out of this an immortal cyborg

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I recall someone posting their details of their trip, but I don't recall them buying into all the propaganda.
Though, if I recall, I think it may have been an Oilers Fan.

I think it was Oil Stain. I don't think that he was suddenly a DPRK sympathizer, but it seemed like an amazing trip!

[Johnny Makarov]

1 down 2 to go.

Trump, Putin come on down, the price is right.

[Wood]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Seems like this must be coronavirus related, no?

I read he had cardiovascular surgery because of his obesity and excessive smoking

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

1 down 2 to go.

Trump, Putin come on down, the price is right.

Could we get that lucky?

[greyshep]

I feel bad for the doctor who operated on him.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Chairman Kim only has one confirmed child, a seven-year-old boy.

Hard to know who would take power in a situation where Kim dies. There is no obvious successor at this point. It would probably be somebody from the Workers' Party, but who? DPRK has no official line of succession, unusual even for a totalitarian state.

In short, it would be messy.

Some have speculated his sister would take over.

[CaptainCrunch]

I wonder if they did the surgery using a rusty can opener and a anti-aircraft cannon.



This could be one of two things


1) Its a false report to test loyalty in the government, and inspire the people when he makes a miraculous recovery. They're reporting that there is no unusual activity happening in North Korea, when his father died there were troops on the street immediately and the North Korean military went on full alert.


2) He's actually dying or dead, but the North Korean power structure is unusually complex, mainly because the Kim's have always maintained a balance between the Military and the North Korean internal security and intelligence apparatus by playing them off against each other. At the same time, there has also always been a pro Chinese faction in the government vs a what would generously be called a North Korean self reliance faction, again the Kim's were good at playing these factions against each other, its why careers as a senior member of the government are um short lived.


As for successors in the government, and I'm going off of memory, his sister would be considered the front runner, Kim Yo-Jung took a similar path to her brother in that her first real key position was running the countries propaganda and agitation wing which gave her a pretty big seat at the table with NK intelligence. She was also the one who molded her brothers internal image, Set up all of the Rodman visits and used him for propaganda internally. She was granted a appointment to the politburo and was given leadership of their State Security, in other words, she's a spook. She knows where the bodies are buried. She was supposedly also the one behind the ruthless purge of any remnants of her fathers circle of leaders. They recently tried to polish her international image with the Olympics, warming the relationship with South Korea and the Trump visits.


But make no mistake, she's not a reformer if she gets into power, she's a hardliner.


Another possibility is her sister Kim Sol-Song, who like her sister has risen to power, she's rumored to be a key decision maker in the Supreme Command group of the North Korean Military, she's also supposedly the chief Vice Chairperson of the Korean Workers Party.


Kim Jong-Jul the surviving brother was at one point considered to be the successor to his father but was pretty much dismissed as too feminine, now he lives quietly and plays a guitar in a band (You will applaud him)


I would expect if this is real that it will come down to one of the two sisters, or we could see a fairly short lived government and a Chinese supported coup. If another Kim rises in the government expect to see a vicious purge.


There is an Aunt that is a member of the politburo, however it sounds like she's not really interested in the duties that come with it.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by greyshep

I feel bad for the doctor who operated on him.

The Doctors that treated Stalin seemed to come out of it ok.

[afc wimbledon]

occurred to me maybe Covid is decimating N Korea and this is just a quiet coup

[Acey]

He's only 37 but definitely a big boy. Gonna be an interesting couple of days.

[activeStick]

If he dies, there will be a struggle for power within their power structure and the Chinese will position their preferred successor to take over, similar to the strategy of the Americans for decades.

[Playfair]

BBC News - Kim Jong-un illness rumours denied amid intense speculation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-52364055

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by Slava

If he does die, I hope they televise the funeral. The one for his father was incredibly interesting. Late 80's, brand new limos, hysterical crying and over the top displays of emotion by the troops. It was really something to see.

His father died in 2011. His grandfather died in the mid 90s.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

His father died in 2011. His grandfather died in the mid 90s.

Yeah, but did you watch the funeral? It was like a time machine!

[IgnitedSoul]

Here's the thread mentioned—what an interesting read.

[Cheese]

Nothing about it on 38 North which is the most extensive reporting site on North Korea.