Mystery Over North Korean Leader Fuels Health Rumors

Yahoo - AP ^ | 9-29-14 | FOSTER KLUG

[Colehill1999]

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's authoritarian leader makes no public appearances for three weeks, skipping a high-profile event he usually attends. An official documentary shows him limping and overweight and mentions his "discomfort." What follows is a smorgasbord of media speculation about what's eating Kim Jong Un.

Maybe it's gout, unidentified sources tell South Korean reporters, or diabetes, or high blood pressure. A thinly sourced British report says the Swiss-educated dictator has been laid low by a massive cheese addiction. A headline in Seoul offers up the possibility of a common South Korean obsession: fried chicken and beer.

So what's going on?

[Brother Cracker]

[windsorknot]

I would recommend the services of Dr. Jack Kevorkian if he were still alive.

[MasterGunner01]

If Kim Jong-Un should die, is there anyone in the dynasty ready to step up as the new Dear Leader? If not, there will be a power struggle. The NorKs probably don't have a line of succession established.