We live in a digital age where hearsay can easily evolve into an unstoppable wave of rumours which affect the fate of entire nations.
Within the past 2 weeks, rumours regarding the fate of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un reached a fever pitch late last night on Saturday (25 Apr).
Sets of keywords like ‘Kim Jong Un death‘ & ‘Kim Jong Un dead‘ have continued to trend sporadically on Google over the past 48 hours, even locally in Singapore.
At the time of writing, neither North Korea nor South Korea have fully cleared up the circumstances surrounding the mystery.
In the meantime, international media has done what they do best — turn to possible ‘successor’ candidates if the rumour turns out to be true.
One of whom, has captured the imagination of the Internet legions who’ve gone as far as prepping memes for her impending ‘reign’.
Here’s why Ms Kim Yo Jong, the 31-year-old sister of Kim Jong Un, is a lady you’ll probably want to remember, even if the rumours about her brother turn out to be false.
Trouble first began brewing when Mr Kim missed a scheduled appearance at his grandfather & father’s memorial at Kumsusan Palace on Wednesday (15 Apr).
As this was considered a crucial event of national importance, pundits began questioning the state of his health.
A conspicuous media absence followed, with Mr Kim declining to include direct comments in press releases without further explanations by North Korean authorities.
Next, this CNN report was released on 21 Apr, alleging that Mr Kim was in “poor health” & in “grave danger” after a heart bypass surgery.
The authenticity of this report was questioned by President Trump in his address 3 days later on 24 Apr. Mr Trump claimed he remained in touch with the North Korean leader and hoped he was “OK”, but would be monitoring “US intelligence” further.
A series of unverified tweets from various sources also set off a flurry of speculation on social media.
The tweet pictured above was posted on 25 Apr, claiming that a high level Hong Kong media representative suggested that Mr Kim Jong Un was indeed “dead”.
Twitter user @hieverya replied on the same thread that South Korean publication Joongang Ilbo had erroneously uploaded a pre-written article on Mr Kim’s death.
The article in question has since been removed. Even as rife speculation on Mr Kim’s fate continues, social media has turned to an unlikely source to continue coverage — his sister.
Ms Kim Yo Jong has made headlines for her brand of ‘diplomacy’ before. This time, her ‘looks’ & the possibility of her filling her older brother’s shoes if anything untoward were to happen to him have come under scrutiny.
For context, she’s been by Mr Kim Jong Un’s side for the past few years. Her presence was also felt & captured in his historic 2018 meeting with President Trump in Singapore.
Memes featuring Ms Kim Yo Jong mainly imagine how life would be like if she became the new “dictator” of North Korea.
Others include montages of her well-received public appearances, which would inspire her fans to “do it for her”.
Finally, this one casts her as the leading lady in her own Korean drama.
Definitely a compelling premise for Crash Landing On You’s sequel.
Ultimately, rumours of Mr Kim’s health come at an inconvenient time — North Korea continues to deny they’ve been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, amidst other reports of panic buying in Pyongyang.
China’s team has also allegedly sent a team of medical experts over to North Korea to help with Mr Kim’s treatment, reports The Guardian.
But until North Korea officially confirms or denies the rumours, we can only hope that the situation stabilises soon for the sake of their citizens.
What’s your take on this situation? We’d love to hear your comments below.
Featured image adapted from The Straits Times via The Guardian & Twitter.
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