Speculation about Kim Jong-un exposes South Korean intelligence weaknesses 2
Speculation about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arisen since he was absent on the birthday anniversary of late leader Kim Il Sung on April 15, leading to concerns about the country’s future.
Kim Jong-un’s health is very important to neighboring countries and the United States, because it will determine the stability of the North Korean government, as well as how the country uses its nuclear capabilities.
Kim Jong-un (white shirt) inspected Sunchon base on April 12.
This is a problem North Korea’s neighbors have faced for decades.
Daily NK page specializing in news about North Korea quoted an anonymous source saying that the North Korean leader had heart surgery on April 12 at the Hyangsan resort, north of the capital Pyongyang, while CNN news agency quoted
South Korean officials have repeatedly emphasized that they have not detected any unusual moves in North Korea and have denied reports that Kim Jong-un is sick.
Many controversies have erupted in South Korea surrounding the country’s intelligence capabilities and ability to capture information in North Korea.
The South Korean government’s supporters highlight inter-Korean exchanges and criticize the conservative policy over the years, which has limited diplomatic and business contacts to deal with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Conservatives criticized the government for cutting intelligence activities while pursuing a policy of warming inter-Korean relations, damaging spy networks that were difficult to build.
Some experts believe that South Korea, as well as East Asian countries and the United States, need to prepare for a scenario of instability in North Korea if Kim Jong-un does not hold power due to health problems.
`Planning to respond to these scenarios is very important because no one knows for sure what will happen. Kim Jong-un may be very healthy and will soon appear in the media, but his body and weight
Information from the South Korean government and North Korean media shows that Kim Jong-un may have had a health problem but it is not dangerous.
`After decades of operation, South Korean intelligence has still not been able to build a reliable network to collect information about North Korea. Obviously the government is holding some sources of information there, but not enough to release it.`
The reality of Kim Jong-un’s health is very important. His loss of leadership capacity could expand the power of hard-line officials who have emerged since the failure of the first US-North Korea summit.
Satellite photo of Kim Jong-un’s possible train in Wonsan, North Korea, on April 23.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that it could not confirm whether Kim Jong-un had undergone surgery.
`Kim Il Sung shot dead` is one of the most famous headlines in Korean press history, appearing in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper in 1986. The South Korean military also supported the information at that time, saying North Korea
`Anyone who says they have a firm grasp on something is just writing a novel,` said Cheon Seong-whun, a former Blue House official from 2014 to 2017.
