Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

3 hours ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

5 hours ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

6 hours ago

Wall Street Jumps as Microsoft Enters $4 Trillion Club After Results

7 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

24 hours ago

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

1 day ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

1 day ago

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

1 day ago
South Korea Downplays Concerns Over Kim Jong Un's Health
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
April 21, 2020

Share

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean officials reported no unusual activity in North Korea on Tuesday following unconfirmed media reports that leader Kim Jong Un was in fragile health after surgery.

But the possibly of high-level instability raised troubling questions about the future of a nuclear-armed state that has been steadily building an arsenal meant to threaten the U.S. mainland amid stalled talks between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

South Korea’s presidential office said Kim appeared to be handling state affairs as usual and that it had no information about rumors regarding his health. But many will be watching closely for any signs of trouble in North Korea, and whether it will address the reports — something it has not yet done.

South Korea’s presidential office said Kim appeared to be handling state affairs as usual and that it had no information about rumors regarding his health. But many will be watching closely for any signs of trouble in North Korea, and whether it will address the reports — something it has not yet done.

The United States and North Korea appeared to be barreling toward war in 2017, with the countries trading insults and threats of destruction. The next two years saw a surprising series of summits, including three between Kim and Trump, as Kim pursued diplomacy in hopes of ending crippling economic sanctions and obtaining security guarantees. But through it all he maintained his right to a nuclear arsenal, and most diplomacy has stalemated since.

Speculation often surfaces about North Korea’s leadership based on attendance at important state events. Kim, who is in his mid-30s, missed the celebration of the birthday of his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung on April 15, the country’s most important holiday.

But he presided over a meeting on April 11, discussing coronavirus prevention and electing his sister as an alternate member of the political bureau of the ruling Workers’ Party, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. And state media have since reported he sent greetings to Syrian President Bashar Assad and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as well as arranging special birthday meals for two North Korean officials and a new centenarian.

Kim Is Believed to Be Staying at an Unspecified Location Outside of Pyongyang

“We have no information to confirm regarding rumors about Chairman Kim Jong Un’s health issue that have been reported by some media outlets,” South Korean presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said. “Also, no unusual developments have been detected inside North Korea.”

The presidential office later said Kim is believed to be staying at an unspecified location outside of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, with some close confidants. It said Kim appeared to be normally engaged with state affairs and there wasn’t any unusual movement or emergency reaction from North Korea’s ruling party, military or Cabinet.

A U.S. official said the White House was aware before the reports appeared late Monday that Kim’s health might be precarious. The official said the U.S. had information that Kim may have undergone surgery and that complications may have rendered him “incapacitated or worse.” But, the official stressed that the U.S. had nothing to confirm the surgery had taken place or that any complications had occurred.

The U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not elaborate on where the information came from or when it had been received.

Conservative South Korean lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun, chairman of the National Assembly’s foreign affairs and unification committee, said he was told by unspecified non-government sources that Kim had surgery for cardiovascular problems. But an official from Seoul’s National Intelligence Service, who didn’t want to be named, citing office rules, said the spy agency couldn’t confirm whether Kim had surgery.

Photo of Kim Jong Un
FILE – In this undated file photo provided by the North Korean government on April 12, 2020, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects an air defense unit in western area, North Korea. The South Korean government is looking into reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in fragile condition after surgery. Officials from South Korea’s Unification Ministry and National Intelligence Service couldn’t immediately confirm the reports citing an anonymous U.S. official who said Kim was in “grave danger.” Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea Has Seen Similar Power Struggles That Ended With Bloody Purges

It’s unclear what would happen if Kim is sidelined by health problems or dies. Still less than a decade into Kim’s rule, North Korea has yet to give any meaningful indication of who would succeed him as leader.

North Korea has seen similar power struggles that ended with bloody purges during its seven decades of Kim family rule. Kim Jong Un’s 2013 execution of his uncle and mentor, Jang Song Thaek, who was accused of treason and corruption, was seen as a major step in consolidating his rule.

Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea, said political upheaval would be unlikely as Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, is already exercising significant influence within the government, and most members of North Korea’s leadership share an interest with the Kim family in maintaining the North’s system.

However, Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Dongguk University and a policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, sees the possibility of a violent power struggle.

While Kim Yo Jong would most likely emerge as leader during a transitional period, other members of the top elite could try to reduce her to a figurehead while making important decisions from the shadows, Koh said.

North Korea has seen similar power struggles that ended with bloody purges during its seven decades of Kim family rule. Kim Jong Un’s 2013 execution of his uncle and mentor, Jang Song Thaek, who was accused of treason and corruption, was seen as a major step in consolidating his rule.

Hong Min, a senior analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea once Kim is gone could be ruled by a collective leadership from the ruling party’s elite, similar to the post-Stalin Soviet Union. While it is perhaps too early to seriously contemplate Kim’s potential demise considering his age, his supposed heart and other health problems could become increasing factors in the years ahead, Hong said.

Outside Governments and Media Have a Mixed Record

Robert O’Brien, the U.S. national security adviser, said the Trump administration is monitoring the reports about Kim’s health “very closely.” O’Brien said Tuesday during a television interview with Fox News Channel that North Korea is “parsimonious with the information they provide about many things, including the health of Kim Jong Un, so we’re monitoring these developments closely.”

Kim In-chul, spokesman for South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, said Seoul and Washington are maintaining close communication but didn’t provide a direct answer when asked whether the allies exchanged any meaningful intelligence about Kim’s health.

Outside governments and media have a mixed record on tracking developments among North Korea’s ruling elite, made difficult by the North’s stringent control of information about them.

In 2016, South Korean media quoted intelligence officials as saying Kim Jong Un had had a former military chief executed for corruption and other charges. But months later, North Korea’s state media showed Ri Yong Gil alive and serving in new senior posts.

Kim’s absence from state media often triggers speculation. In 2014, he vanished from the public eye for nearly six weeks before reappearing with a cane. South Korea’s spy agency said days later that he had a cyst removed from his ankle.

Kim took power upon his father’s death in December 2011 and is the third generation of his family to rule the country.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

DON'T MISS

Measure C Advisory Group Still Squabbling but Agrees on Mission Statement

DON'T MISS

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

DON'T MISS

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

DON'T MISS

Fresno’s $100M Warehouse Project Means Big Things for City: Dyer

DON'T MISS

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Fire Responds to Three-Alarm Fire at Commercial Building Near Tipton

DON'T MISS

Costa Has ‘Concerns’ About Newsom’s Plan to Copy Possible Texas Gerrymander

UP NEXT

Yosemite’s Largest Campground Reopens Friday After $26.2 Million Renovation

UP NEXT

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

UP NEXT

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

UP NEXT

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

UP NEXT

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

UP NEXT

How Netanyahu Keeps Playing Trump for a Fool in Gaza

UP NEXT

Trump Signs Order Implementing Additional 40% Tariff on Brazil, White House Says

UP NEXT

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting Friday

UP NEXT

Israeli Minister Hints at Annexing Parts of Gaza

UP NEXT

Russia Has Developed Immunity to Sanctions, Kremlin Says After Trump Tightens Ceasefire Deadline

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

1 hour ago

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

1 hour ago

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

2 hours ago

Fresno’s $100M Warehouse Project Means Big Things for City: Dyer

3 hours ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

3 hours ago

Tulare County Fire Responds to Three-Alarm Fire at Commercial Building Near Tipton

4 hours ago

Costa Has ‘Concerns’ About Newsom’s Plan to Copy Possible Texas Gerrymander

4 hours ago

Yosemite’s Largest Campground Reopens Friday After $26.2 Million Renovation

5 hours ago

Two Men Shot During Fight at Tulare Apartment Complex

5 hours ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

5 hours ago

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

A fire that broke out just before noon Thursday on the 2300 block of South Minnewawa Avenue damaged a home and displaced three people, accor...

36 seconds ago

A fire sparked by oily rags displaced a Fresno family and damaged their home Thursday, July 31, 2025, but firefighters rescued three dogs, a chameleon, and a turtle with no injuries reported. (Fresno FD)
37 seconds ago

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

Measure C MeasureC Highway 41 HWY41 Transportation tax (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)
29 minutes ago

Measure C Advisory Group Still Squabbling but Agrees on Mission Statement

Eevee Is GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week, July 31, 2025
56 minutes ago

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

Fresno County authorities helped Fowler police arrest a suspect on Thursday, July 31, 2025, and seize stolen firearms, drugs, ammunition, and cash following a grand theft investigation. (Fowler PD)
1 hour ago

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 31, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
1 hour ago

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

3 hours ago

Fresno’s $100M Warehouse Project Means Big Things for City: Dyer

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds an image of a rendering of the new White House ballroom to be built, during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 31, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
3 hours ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend