Where's Kim Jong-un? US sends five high-tech spy planes to comb North Korea and locate the dictator
As rumors about the health and well being of Kim Jong-un continue to make the rounds, the US has reportedly scrambled five high-tech reconnaissance planes to sweep the hermit nation for discernable information.
A senior military source in South Korea confirmed to media outlet Chosun Ilbo that the US had deployed three RC-12s, one E-8C Joint STARS, and one EO-5C Crazy Hawk to confirm the whereabouts of the North Korean dictator.
The RC-12s and E-8C are said to be handling the electronic eavesdropping and are operating around Pyongyang or Wonsan, where he is presumed to be hiding.
The EO-5C, on the other hand, carries equipment to track the movement of troops and weapons and is looking for anything out of place that would indicate that Kim Jong-un had passed away.
Seoul has deployed a signals intelligence spy plane as well, though it has refused to confirm the reports.
Kim Jong-un's health has been the subject of heavy speculation around the world ever since he missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il-sung.
The 36-year-old, who is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, had not missed the event, considered the biggest in the country, since assuming power after his father's death in 2011.
It was suggested last week that he was in a "vegetative state" after undergoing routine heart surgery.
He had reportedly been rushed to a hospital after he clutched his chest and fell to the ground on a visit to the countryside earlier this month, following which he had a stent inserted into his heart.
TMZ then claimed that the dictator had died because of the same procedure and quoted a Hong Kong-backed news channel's vice director for the news. The vice director was said to be reputable and was the niece of a Chinese Foreign Minister.
The hashtag "KimJongUnDead" has been trending on Twiter, with a viral photo showing the North Korean leader lying on his back with his eyes closed and covered by a red blanket. His head is also resting on a pillow, as per tradition for North Korean leaders.
The image had been shared thousands of times but was quickly debunked and seemed to have been manipulated from one that was taken during the funeral service for his father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that Kim was alive and well and was just staying in his holiday resort on the North Korean coast.
"Our government position is firm...Kim Jong-un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected," said South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The assertion came after satellite images showed Kim's personal train at his private railway station near to his holiday home in the resort. Reports state that the train was parked at the "leadership station" — solely reserved for the use of the dictator's family — in Wonsan between April 21 and April 23.