Kim Jong-un in 'grave danger' after undergoing heart surgery on April 12: Report
North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un reportedly underwent a major heart surgery earlier in April and is recovering at his private residence. According to the US media, officials said that the leader in his mid-30s was in “grave danger” after the surgery. Kim succeeded his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011 after the latter’s death.
South Korea-based Daily NK reported about Kim’s surgery that happened on April 12 and if the claim is accurate, it explains the absence of the diminutive leader from an event to mark the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, his grandfather and the founder of the country, on April 15.
According to Daily NK which is run mainly by North Korean defectors, Kim underwent the heart procedure at a hospital in Hyangsan county in eastern North Korea. It said the leader, who is known for his liking for cheese, was being treated at a villa at Mount Kumgang. It added that Kim received the cardiovascular system procedure because of "excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork”. Neither the North Korean state media nor the South Korean unification ministry made any remark on the report.
CNN cited an American official who has updates on the issue to say that Washington was keeping a watch over the intelligence report that the North Korean dictator was in “grave danger” after the surgery.
However, an official source in South Korea told the local Yonhap news agency that Kim made several public appearances recently and there was nothing that showed that he was in bad health. They cited a government official there who said the reclusive leader was not seriously ill.
Kim made the headlines in recent years for reaching out to the outer world and even meeting President Donald Trump more than once. While the dictator has been accused of leading North Korea on the path to nuclearisation, he also received a praise world over for engaging with the US, China and South Korea that was seen as a key initiative towards giving peace a chance in the Far East.
Kim not well in recent months
The Daily NK report claimed Kim’s health has not been well over the recent months and it quoted a source as saying that he has been struggling with cardiovascular problems since last August and things worsened after he made repeated visits to Mount Paektu -- the hermit kingdom’s sacred mountain and spiritual homeland of the Kim dynasty. Last October, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA released pictures showing Kim riding a large white horse through snowy fields and forests on Mount Paektu.
Kim was reportedly taken to hospital on April 11 soon after chairing a meeting of the politburo of the ruling workers’ party and has not been seen since then. He was also absent when North Korea fired multiple short-range missiles last week, which is something unusual for a leader who is ever-obsessed with his country’s military might. It is not the first time though that Kim’s absence from public eyes raised questions over his health. In September-October 2014, the dictator was not seen for a long time and the country’s state television officially acknowledged that he was indeed experiencing some “discomfort” in regards to his health.