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N.Korea Activist: ‘Coward’ Kim Jong-un is Alive, Hiding from Coronavirus

Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:53 PM
Joseph Young
Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:53 PM
  • North Korean activist says Kim Jong-un is alive, and is in hiding to protect himself from coronavirus.
  • Skepticism towards the country’s data that not a single person has been affected by COVID-19 has increased recently.
  • Both South Korean and U.S. Presidents say Kim Jong-un is not dead or in a vegetative state.

North Korean defector and activist Park Yeon-mi claims her source says Kim Jong-un is not dead, sick, or in a vegetative state. The country’s Supreme leader is reportedly in hiding, fearing a possible coronavirus infection.

Park escaped North Korea in 2007 and settled in South Korea in 2009. Coming from a politically-connected family , the activist has published insights into the secretive country throughout the past decade.

Activist claims coronavirus is spreading in North Korea

One of the major mysteries surrounding North Korea in recent months has been the report that there is not a single coronavirus case in the nation. 

In early April, Pak Myong-su, director of a key department in North Korea’s Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, said after various inspections and quarantine were carried out, the authorities discovered that no one was infected with coronavirus  in the entire country.

Kim Jong-un, North Korea, Coronavirus
North Korea continues to claim that it has zero coronavirus cases. | Source: Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

The surprising figure naturally led to skepticism towards the authenticity of the data provided by the state. The U.S. is quickly approaching a million coronavirus cases despite closing its borders to China in February , but North Korea shares a border with China where the first widespread coronavirus outbreak occurred.

Park Yeon-mi stated that Kim Jong-un is in hiding to protect himself from coronavirus, which she claims is spreading in North Korea. Satellite images taken by 38 North, an organization that tracks activity in North Korea, have shown that Kim Jong-un’s personal train is likely parked in Wonsan , where a beach resort Kim liked to travel to is based.

She said :

The most cowardly and selfish dictator Kim Jong Un is not dead or even sick according to my source. He is hiding out in a fear of getting a Corona virus. Despite lying to the world that there is a zero case of Corona virus, it has been spreading uncontrollably within North Korea

So far, Kim Jong-un’s personal train parked at his Wonsan compound has not moved, leading analysts to believe that Kim has been residing in Wonsan in recent weeks.

kim jong-un
Beach resort in Wonsan, where Kim Jong-un is reportedly residing in | Source: Google Maps/DevKart 

The prominent activist vehemently added:

As his predecessors did, Kim Jong-un is again letting his people die and saving himself only. He will come back soon to prove us wrong. Please do not give Kim Jong Un the pleasure of proving how all the media has been wrong about North Korea. Just wait to see.

Speculation that Kim Jong-un is either dead or in a vegetative state intensified after his absence at North Korea founder Kim Il-sung’s Day of the Sun ceremony.

South Korea says Kim Jong-un is alive

Moon Chung-in, the national security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, refuted reports from the media  in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan, stating that Kim Jong-un is alive and well.

north korea
South Korea says no suspicious activity in North Korea | Source: William Gaolo, JoongAng 

The adviser said that Kim is currently in Wonsan, as the photographs by 38 North indicate, and the lack of suspicious movements make it unlikely that Kim Jong-un’s health is in trouble.

U.S. President Donald Trump also said on April 25 that reports n Kim Jong-un in a vegetative state are incorrect .

The confidence of the authorities in South Korea and the U.S. that Kim Jong-un is alive  adds to the credibility of the activist’s theory.