Even the North Koreans - usually the last to know anything - are now catching up on the Mystery of the Disappearing Supreme Leader. According to the Daily NK, a video is circulating, claiming that the Fatman is indeed now an ex-Supreme Leader:
After a video claiming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has died began circulating in the area of North Korea bordering China, North Korean authorities are intensifying efforts to identify how the video entered the country, Daily NK has learned.
“The video in question looks like it was broadcast by Korean Central Television [KCTV] and entered the country through China,” a North Pyongan Province-based source told Daily NK on Monday. “The video claims that Kim suddenly died during on-the-spot guidance [on-the-spot inspections].”
The video, which is around five minutes long, shows the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the background while a caption states that “Our Beloved Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un passed away during on-the-spot guidance.” The video claims that Kim Jong Un died during a guided field trip on Saturday (Apr. 25) at 12:30 AM, and that his sister Kim Yo Jong, the first deputy director of the North Korean communist party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department, would be succeeding him.
The video also included scenes from a past ceremony commemorating Kim Jong Il’s death along with the image of a non-existent article from the “The People’s Korea” – a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan.
Daily NK sources reported that the video, despite its lack of authenticity, is spreading quickly in North Korea.
The authorities have quickly moved to identify the leaker or leakers of the video because they think it could cause a “social issue,” one source said, adding, “The Ministry of State Security and local police offices are keeping a close eye on those making international calls and text messages.”
“This video bewildered both ordinary citizens as well as party members and other officials when they first saw it,” one source told Daily NK. “After it was flagged as a serious issue, however, nobody has been able to openly discuss the video.”
“The authorities have created a special unit from the Organization and Guidance Department, the Public Prosecutors’ Office, the MSS and other law enforcement agencies, to identify the leaker,” the source continued.
And still no mention in the media, surprisingly, of the real reason for the silence, as identified here yesterday: not enough embalming fluid.
I'm worried they're using it as a stunt. A. they could be trying to "mess with the West's head". In a few days time Kimi would appear alive and well and say that he has spend a few days in the world of the gods of whatever but cared about his people too much so he returned to rule over them.
Posted by: Shir | April 28, 2020 at 01:29 PM
No, they don't do that kind of mystical bullshit. Other kinds of bullshit, yes - but not that kind.
Posted by: Mick H | April 28, 2020 at 03:17 PM
Just how is a video 'circulating' in a state like North Korea?
Posted by: John the Drunkard | April 28, 2020 at 04:01 PM
Quite a few homes have video players, I believe. Hence all the fuss about illicit South Korean TV and films circulating..
Posted by: Mick H | April 28, 2020 at 04:58 PM
Wasn't the thing with the horse kind of mystical?
Posted by: Shir | April 28, 2020 at 05:39 PM
Going up Mt Paektu on horseback? Yes, there's all kinds of symbolism attached to that, aimed at bolstering the image of the Kim family. There's also the symbol of Chollima, the flying horse, which is supposed to represent heroism, and the constant, fighting spirit of the Korean people. The masses are told constantly that North Korea is advancing at the "speed of Chollima".
But it's not mystical in the sense of being other-worldly. There are no gods other than the Kims themselves.
Posted by: Mick H | April 28, 2020 at 05:59 PM
Thanks for clarifying.
Posted by: Shir | April 28, 2020 at 06:21 PM