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Is Kim Jong-un dead? Rumors resurface on the Internet after reports say the North Korean leader is in a coma

Although Kim still is the 'absolute power', he would gradually begin to transfer authority to Kim Yo-jong to 'ease stress'

Is North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un okay? Rumors are rife that the leader is in a coma as his health reportedly continues to dip. As per TMZ, Chang Song-min, a former aide to the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, recently told South Korean media, based on the intel he’s received, that Jong-un is in a coma but not deceased. The aide continued, "A complete succession structure has not been formed, so his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, is being brought to the fore as the vacuum cannot be maintained for a prolonged period."

As per the same report, North Korea's own National Intelligence Service (NIS) mentioned that although Kim still is the “absolute power”, he would gradually begin to transfer authority to Kim Yo-jong to "ease stress". Seoul’s spy agency, NIS, said on Thursday, August 20, that managing state affairs has caused Jong-un recently to delegate some of his powers to select a group of senior officials, as reported by Yahoo News. At a meeting held on August 20 with the Workers' Party, Jong-un showed concerns over South Korea’s economy and its policies. Yahoo News reported that he said the country was facing dual challenges fending off the pandemic and repairing damage from torrential rains that caused devastation. The leader also insisted to keep borders shut and reject any outside help.

At the moment, it cannot be confirmed if the news of Jong-un being in a coma is true or not as the 36-year-old's past stories of purported death have often cast doubts on his declining health. In April, rumors over his death ran commonly in media portals after Jong-un suddenly disappeared and did not show up in the public sphere until May where he was pictured after attending completion of a fertilizer plant in the capital, Pyongyang. Back in 2014, the leader did not appear in public for six weeks after which the state media reported that he was suffering from an "uncomfortable physical condition". In 2009, concerns loomed over his ill health floated online that suggested he was a diabetic and suffered from hypertension. With so many incidents, the Internet can't help but mock the new rumors of his death.

A user joked, “RIP Kim Jong Un who died for the sixth time this year. May he finally find peace.”

 Another concurred hinting he might again be fine, “No one: Kim Jong Un after dying for the 6th time this year.”

Others lamented that maybe North Koreans cannot decipher if a person is in sleep or has actually passed away. “Starting to think the North Koreans can’t tell the difference between dead and asleep? I thought he was dead 3 months ago but I’m not buying it this time until I see his cold dead body paraded around the streets.”

A user wrote jokingly, “Kim coming back from the dead for the 4th time.”

TV Commentator Madison Gesiotto tweeted in a pun intended tone, “Anyone think Kim Jong Un has been dead for a while?”

People cannot stop talking about how Kim has faked his death. “Kim Jong Un faked his death to weed out the fakes in his circle and that’s not even top 10 wildest things to happen this year so far. Lmaoooooooo.”