generalspeaking

And Won't He Be Missed : Release From Oppression in North Korea?

"Any credible direct reporting having to do with Kim would be highly compartmented (sic) intelligence and unlikely to leak to the media."
Korea specialist, U.S. government

"The basic assumption would be maybe it would be someone in the family [succession]. But, again, it's too early to talk about that because we just don't know what condition Chairman Kim is in and we'll have to see how it plays out."
"[The White House is monitoring the reports] very closely."
Robert O'Brien, national security adviser, U.S.President Donald Trump

"Something really is quite amiss, quite awry right now in North Korea."
"It's worrisome. If he's seriously ill and he dies, there is no succession plan. You could see a huge power struggle, people jockeying for position."
"Their lives would depend on it."
Joseph Yun, former U.S. envoy to North Korea

Kim Jong Un has not been seen at recent events amid reports he had heart surgery earlier this month [Ahn Young-joon/AP]

According to Mr. Yun, North Korea in recent years had responded swiftly to significant foreign news reports. What stands out to him in significance, said the man who works as an analyst for CNN, is that the country's controlled media is so far silent on a situation which has seen its leader mysteriously absent from the nation's most revered ceremony. Kim Jong Un was oddly nowhere in sight at the birthday celebration of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung on April 13. As the founder of North Korea, Kim's grandfather is revered.

The official North Korean KCNA news agency simply ignored the lack of presence of the nation's leader at this most important of ceremonies. Giving no indication of where the current leader might be, other than making reference to the evident fact that he had sent birthday gifts to honour the occasion to prominent citizens. Or someone did, administratively on his behalf, more likely.

And while authoritative sources both in South Korea and China cast doubt on viral reports that North Korea's leader is gravely ill following a cardiovascular operation, sources familiar with U.S. Intelligence note that the White House is monitoring the situation closely. A Seoul-based specialty website, Daily NK reported on Monday that 36-year-old Kim was in recovery from cardiac surgery.

A subsequent CNN report citing an unnamed U.S. official claiming the U.S. to be "monitoring intelligence" highlighting the state of grave danger Kim was in following surgery, was rejected by government officials in South Korea. Those two officials failed to validate that Kim might have undergone surgery. Kim's father, Kim Jong Il in 2011 died from a heart attack.

Kim's health, according to Daily NK had deteriorated since August as a result of heavy smoking, obesity and overwork, not to mention a family history of heart problems. According to the report, on April 12 Kim was hospitalized and hours later the cardiovascular procedure was undertaken. It also reported him to be recovering and being treated at a villa in the Mount Myohyang resort north of Pyongyang.

"My understanding is that he had been struggling [with cardiovascular problems] since last August but it worsened after repeated visits to Mount Paektu", referring to the country's sacred mountain, and quoting an unnamed source. No details are known respecting Kim's young children, but analysts feel his sister and loyalists could forge a regency to rule until a successor attains the age required to take the reins of government.

Kim Jong Un in pictures released in early December during a visit to battle areas of Mount Paektu [File: KCNA via Reuters]