Hey guys!

Not much has changed since the last time we talked. COVID19 is still ruling our lives. As of today, there are 6,703 confirmed cases of COVID19 in Australia, with 81 deaths. This is in stark comparison to other first world countries like the United Kingdom, whose death toll currently stands at 20,319.
However, in recent weeks the activities (or lack thereof), of a prominent and somewhat infamous person have hit the headlines.

Kim Jong-un: leader and ruler of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been missing in action and has not been seen publicly since a party meeting on April 11. Suspicions began to arise when he failed to appear in public for the annual celebration of the birth of his grandfather: Kim Il Sung. These furthered when a South Korean news outlet published a story revealing that the leader was recovering after heart surgery in a villa outside Pyongyang, the nation’s capital. Although the reliability of this report has come under question, the source is said to be from inside North Korea. Experts have also recently expressed concerns about Kim’s weight and the health risks associated with it.
However, with still no news from the hermit kingdom about their brutal dictator, rumours have hit the headlines that Kim Jong Un has died. As recently as today, Kim was conspicuous in his absence to celebrate the anniversary of the Korean People’s Army. Check out a story by Channel 9 below.

You might remember back to April last year, when I posted a review on In Order to Live: Yeonmi Park’s autobiography of her life in North Korea and daring escape when she was just 13 years old. In recent posts on social media, Park has stated that back in 2011 when Kim Jong Il died, the news wasn’t announced until two days later; presumably to get things in year-old has died, unlike his father, there is no successor in line to rule. This fact has also sparked rumours and debate.

North and South Korea have been divided since the end of World War II. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, the demilitarized zone at the border was established, and any prisoners of war could return via the Bridge of No Return. Since then, North Korea has isolated itself from the rest of the world. The Kim family has ruled since 1948. However, very few concrete facts are known about them, thanks to their heavy propaganda and state-controlled media. Sources have revealed in recent years that Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju are said to have three children: a boy, girl and the gender of the third is unknown. They have never been seen in public however one can be certain that none of Kim’s children is old enough to rule the country.

In light of this, rumours about Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jong taking over as ruler have also surfaced. Kim Yo-jong is a North Korean politician and has become the most important figure in the country after her brother.

According to The Guardian, she is now known as the country’s propagandist in-chief, and has also been placed on a blacklist along with other North Korean officials by the US for “severe human rights abuses”. Although very little has been seen of Kim Yo-jong publicly until 2010, she has become known as his confidante, and if ruler, could be as, if not more ruthless than her brother. But would a woman be allowed to rule North Korea?

The next question regarding Kim Jong-un involves COVID19: Is it possible that he has it? The sad fact is, the hermit kingdom has always been so secretive and clouded by propaganda, the only honest reports to come from North Korea have been from defectors like Yeonmi Park. Some believe that given that citizens are not allowed to travel out of the country, the virus couldn’t have come in. However, most if not all of North Korea’s trading comes from China, and with selected government officials freely able to travel between the two countries, it could easily have been introduced.
Another piece of information I have discovered is that over the years it has not been unusual for the leaders to fall off the radar. In 2008, Kim Jong-il disappeared for a few months. It would later emerge that he had suffered a stroke. In 2014, Kim Jong-un also disappeared for months, eventually announcing that he had been unwell.
Kim Jong-un’s father and grandfather died from heart attacks, and it is well-known that the current leader has heart problems.

In her posts, Yeonmi Park has prayed that this might be the beginning of the end of the hideous, cruel dictatorship that has been North Korea for over 50 years. I, however, am slightly more pessimistic. None of us know what will happen, assuming the leader has in fact died. Whether another family member steps in, or there is a complete change in ruling remains to be seen. Sadly, I don’t see a radical change unless something drastic happens, e.g. a war and the border between North and South Korea is opened.

There is a lot to ponder on this topic. Is the leader dead? Will the country be turned upside down? Whatever happens, I’ll keep you posted.

Sending all my readers my love and hopes that COVID19 is all over soon and life can get back to normal again.

Until next time,
xoxo Brett

PS. If you want to check out my review of Yeonmi Park’s book, click on the picture!