"Kim Jong-un Underwent Cardiovascular Surgery"... Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il Died of Myocardial Infarction

DailyNK "Recovering at villa after surgery on the 12th"
Absence from visit to Geumsusan Taeyang Palace sparks rumors of personal issues

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un "guided the mortar fire training of the People's Army corps-level mortar units" ahead of the Supreme People's Assembly scheduled for the 10th, according to Korean Central TV.

On the 15th, the birthday of Chairman Kim Il-sung (the Day of the Sun), North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, who had raised rumors of health issues by not paying respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, was recently reported to have undergone cardiovascular surgery, according to the North Korea specialist media Daily NK on the 20th.

Daily NK cited local sources saying that Chairman Kim received cardiovascular treatment on the 12th at Hyangsan Clinic, a private hospital for the Kim family located in the Myohyangsan area of North Pyongan Province, and has been staying at a nearby villa for treatment.

The procedure was directly performed by the chief surgeon of Pyongyang Kim Man-yu Hospital, and not only doctors from Kim Man-yu Hospital but also the 'No. 1' attending physicians from the Korean Red Cross General Hospital and Pyongyang Medical University Hospital were all summoned from Pyongyang to Hyangsan Clinic for this matter, the source said.

The source added, "Judging that Chairman Kim's condition has improved, most of the medical staff returned to Pyongyang on the 19th, and currently only a few remain to continuously monitor his recovery status."

Chairman Kim's grandfather, Chairman Kim Il-sung, and his father, National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il, both died of acute myocardial infarction. In particular, Chairman Kim Jong-il, who enjoyed smoking and drinking, suffered from hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.

Since heart disease runs in the Kim family, experts have long assumed that Chairman Kim would not be free from cardiovascular diseases. He has all the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including family history, severe obesity, smoking, and overwork.

On the occasion of the 108th birthday of North Korean President Kim Il-sung (Day of the Sun, April 15), high-ranking officials paid tribute on the 15th at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, where President Kim's body is enshrined, the Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party's official newspaper, reported on its front page on the 16th. A flower basket labeled "Kim Jong-un" was placed in front of the statues of President Kim Il-sung and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il.

Earlier, on the 16th, North Korean state media such as the Korean Central News Agency, Korean Central Television, and Korean Central Broadcasting reported that party and government officials and military institution leaders visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun the previous day.

However, there was no report that Chairman Kim paid respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. Since officially taking power in 2012, this was the first time Chairman Kim did not pay respects on his grandfather Kim Il-sung's birthday. This is the background for various speculations about Chairman Kim's whereabouts.

Jung Sung-jang, head of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, analyzed on the 17th, "While North Korea's senior officials paid respects, the supreme leader Kim Jong-un did not, which is a 'disrespectful' incident. There is a possibility that at least temporarily, something abnormal happened to Chairman Kim's health or personal situation."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time rumors about Chairman Kim's health have surfaced. When he was absent from the 2nd session of the 13th Supreme People's Assembly in September 2014, health rumors also spread.

At that time, on Chinese social network services like Weibo, speculative rumors circulated that "Kim Jong-un was detained after an attack by the guards at his residence, and the coup was led by Jang Song-thaek, the Director of the General Political Bureau (who died in 2010)."

Additionally, Hong Kong's Oriental Daily reported that rumors were circulating among Chinese netizens that Kim Jong-un was under house arrest by his close aide and North Korea's second-in-command Hwang Pyong-so.

However, Chairman Kim dispelled the rumors by appearing in public on October 13, walking with a cane and inspecting the Pyongyang Scientist Residential District, showing himself publicly for the first time in 40 days.