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Where is Kim Jong-un?
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Kim Jong Un has disappeared

Kim-Jong Un’s death is being kept a secret from the public.

Context

Kim Jong-Un is the controversial leader of North Korea. Global intelligence and security currently depend on confirming whether Kim-Jong Un has died because the country has weapons that could be cataclysmic in the wrong hands.

The Argument

Kim-Jong Un has been rarely and sporadically spotted from April to June of 2020. During this time, many speculated that he was dead, but he kept reappearing through June. As of June 30, 2020, he has not been seen publicly in three weeks. That means zero contact with the citizenry or media. [1]A U.S. intelligence official recently stated that he thought Kim-Jong Un was in “grave danger." [2] He has had health problems, and they could be the cause of his death. His continued absence from the public eye suggests that the aforementioned grave danger has caused the great leader’s death. It has not been publicly announced, but this does not mean it did not happen. North Korea’s government is somewhat unstable, and the transition of power after Kim-Jong Un’s death is likely a messy affair. Before they release the news of their leader's death, other leaders are probably spending time sorting out this transition of power. Kim Jong-Un could have died at any point recently because his public appearances can be faked. It’s definitively known that he has at least two lookalikes/body doubles whom he uses on occasions unknown to us. [3] They could be the ones making these sporadic appearances to assuage the public and media while the other leaders finish transitioning power.

Counter arguments

Kim-Jong Un is likely just staying away from people during the COVID-19 pandemic, as is recommended. A public figure staying at home need not be thought of as dead. He could be resting, or just sick. (Japan’s defense minister thinks so[1].) Such seismic and seminal news as Kim Jong-Un’s death could not realistically be kept a secret from the public. No matter how messy the transition of power may be, news of it would be leaked. The likelihood that Kim-Jong Un’s public appearances are being faked by body doubles is ludicrous. There’s no antecedent for it. Why would a new leader want to hide behind a doppelganger in a manner akin to the Wizard of Oz? The theory lacks enough evidence to make it make sense.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.nknews.org/2020/06/amid-all-time-appearance-lows-kim-jong-un-absent-for-another-three-week-period/
  2. https://www.nknews.org/2020/04/life-continues-as-normal-in-pyongyang-as-kim-jong-un-health-rumors-swirl/
  3. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11984448/kim-jong-un-dead-rumours-north-korean-tyrant-missing/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 6 Oct 2020 at 09:40 UTC