[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Tae Gumin (Tae Yong-ho), a former North Korean ambassador to the UK and a member-elect of the United Future Party, drew a line on the rumors about North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's critical health condition, stating, "It is impossible for such information to be known externally as it is a state secret." However, he noted that it is unusual that North Korea has not responded despite the health rumors being circulated externally, and emphasized the need to be fully prepared for a sudden crisis.
In a statement on the 21st, Tae said, "The movements and whereabouts of the 'Kim family,' who are called the 'Supreme Dignity' in North Korea, are state secrets, and almost no one, including ordinary citizens and even top officials, can know about them."
He referred to the deaths of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, saying, "When Kim Il-sung died at 2 a.m. on July 8, 1994, the number of people in North Korea who knew about it could be counted on one hand," and added, "North Korea announced the news related to Kim Il-sung's death at noon on July 9, 34 hours after he passed away."
He continued, "When Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in September 2008, no one noticed for the first week," and added, "When Kim Jong-il died at 8:30 a.m. on December 17, 2011, the announcement was made 51 hours and 30 minutes later, at noon on the 19th."
He recalled, "On the morning of Monday, December 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was operating normally, and all officials including the Foreign Minister, First Vice Minister, and Party Chairman were as usual," and said, "At 11 a.m., the Party Committee suddenly ordered everyone to assemble in the auditorium by noon, and when announcer Lee Chun-hee appeared on TV wearing a black hanbok, everyone was shocked."
Tae emphasized, "The movements and whereabouts of the 'Supreme Dignity' in North Korea are matters that even top officials like the Foreign Minister cannot know," and added, "It is impossible for rumors about Kim Jong-un's health to have spread as far as the North Korea-China border."
However, he analyzed that North Korea's continued silence is noteworthy. Tae said, "Due to the nature of the regime, whenever there has been controversy about the 'Supreme Dignity,' North Korea has shown signs within a few days that the 'Supreme Dignity' is intact," and added, "It is very unusual that more than a week has passed since the rumors about Kim Jong-un's health surfaced, and North Korea has not shown any response."
He said, "Especially, Kim Jong-un's absence from the April 15th Taeyangjeol (Day of the Sun) visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun was unprecedented," and added, "Our government should closely monitor the situation and be fully prepared to identify any abnormal signs in North Korea and any possible sudden crisis."
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