North Korea Leader Appears in Public with Stick

North Korea

The leader of North Korean, Kim Jong-un, has made his first appearance in public since 3rd September, according to pictures released by the official news agency of the state.  Pictures showed him walking with a stick but the reason for this is unknown. The KCNA agency stated with the pictures that Mr Kim ‘gave field guidance’ at a newly built residential district for scientists.  The daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun also carried a number of pictures of the leader inspecting the … [Read more...]

Rumors Swirl Around NK Leader’s Health

North_Korea_-_Flowers_vs._Concrete_(5821814467)

Observers of the hermit kingdom, commonly known as North Korea, have begun to raise a number of questions concerning Kim Jong-un’s seemingly literal disappearance from the country’s media and international political spotlight. Kim Jong-un’s last widely known public appearance occurred over a month ago, which even for North Korean leadership is an unusually long time to remain unseen by outside observers. As a result, many have begun to speculate that the North Korean leader is in ill … [Read more...]

Recent Execution in North Korea Raises Concern Over Further Purging

North Korea

A sudden announcement that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had ordered and had carried out the execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, on Friday, Dec. 13 thrust the country back into the international spotlight in an unexpected way. Song-thaek had been removed from his political office last month (for a second time) and was branded a traitor to the state. The Korean Central News Agency report that first released the announcement reported that a military tribunal the previous day had found … [Read more...]

Kim Jong-Un and North Korean Government Shake-Up Confounds Observers

Kim Jong-Un

It is not surprising that intelligence observers keenly watch every minute change and rumor coming out of North Korea, as the country widely known as the ‘Hermit Kingdom’ jealously guards its many, and often unsavory, secrets. One of these changes, noted by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, is that the current ruler Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, has not been seen in the public eye in over a month. While unexpected vanishings are not an uncommon occurrence in North Korea, that … [Read more...]