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Rumors of a military coup in North Korea persist as leader Kim Jong-un's prolonged absence from public view continues. Kim has not been seen in public for a month, leading to rumors that a military coup has broken out in North Korea and Kim has been arrested. Other rumors have it that Kim has gout or has suffered a sort of stroke just as his late father, Kim Jong-il, did in 2008. The US is aware of the reports. "I can just say that I have no confirmation of the reports. We've seen them, but we don't have any confirmation,"...

High-level North Korean delegation to attend AG closing ceremony North Korea plans to send a high-ranking delegation to the Incheon Asian Games closing ceremony Saturday, Seoul's Ministry of Unification said. According to official sources, the North informed the South on Friday that it wants to send Hwang Pyong-so, Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yang-gon to the ceremony slated for 6 p.m. Saturday. The three officials plan to arrive via a direct air route from North Korea to Incheon at 10 a.m. Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae is expected to hold talks with the North Korean officials after their arrival. Hwang was recently...

It is impossible to know exactly what is going on in North Korea, but something big has happened. The third generation Kim dynasty heir, Kim Jong-un, has been missing from public sight for a month, and may be ill, dead, or overthrown. There is much speculation, and contradictory reports are circulating, including the assertion that Pyongyang is sealed off, and no one is being permitted to enter or leave.

The North Korean capital has been placed under lockdown, according to sources with Pyongyang, raising new questions about the stability of Kim Jong-un's regime. Quoting sources within North Korea, the respected New Focus International news web site has reported that a ban on new travel passes to leave or enter Pyongyang was introduced on September 27. And while the North Korean authorities have in the past limited access to the capital, the latest restrictions even apply to permanent residents of Pyongyang, who are by definition the elite of the regime. "This sort of action suggests there has either been an...

U.S. doctor visits N. Korea to treat leader Kim's aunt: source SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- A Korean-American cardiologist arrived in North Korea last month to treat the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a source familiar with affairs inside the communist state said Thursday, prompting speculation about the state of her health. Kim Kyong-hui, the current leader's aunt and younger sister of late former leader Kim Jong-il, has been known to have a heart disease, but the doctor's alleged visit could be an indication that she has fallen into critical condition. "An American cardiologist arrived in Pyongyang around...

Kim Jong-un 'Had Surgery on Fractured Ankles' North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had surgery in Pyongyang in mid-September to treat fractures to both ankles and remains in hospital, a source claimed Monday. The source, who recently visited the North, said, "I heard that Kim Jong-un injured his right ankle in June after pushing ahead with on-site visits and ended up fracturing both ankles because he left the injury unattended." The source added Kim had surgery at the Bonghwa Clinic, an exclusive hospital for high-ranking party members, in mid-September and is now recovering there. The source said bodyguards have been posted...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has an unspecified medical problem, state media report, after he failed to appear at a key political event. A report on state television said on Thursday that Mr Kim, 31, was in an "uncomfortable physical condition" but gave no details. Earlier, the leader was absent from a session of the Supreme People's Assembly - North Korea's legislature. Mr Kim has not been seen in public for more than three weeks. His non-appearance at the SPA - to which he was elected in March with 100% of the vote - on Thursday prompted renewed speculation about...

In North Korea, political life revolves around Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Yet Kim appeared to have skipped a high-level governmental meeting Thursday – and no one seems to know quite why. Televised footage of the reopening of North Korea's Supreme People’s Assembly did not show Kim at the meeting, the Associated Press reports. South Korean officials tasked with keeping tabs on the North now believe that it is the first time that Kim has missed a meeting at Pyongyang's parliament since his father died in December 2011. In fact, Kim, usually a focus of North Korean state media, has...

(LEAD) N. Korean leader suffering from gout: source 2014/09/26 14:30 SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to be suffering from gout due to his poor management of his health as well as family traits, a source familiar with North Korea affairs said Friday. Speculation has been rife that the young leader in his early 30s may have a health problem as recent video footage released from the North has shown him walking with a limp. Kim last appeared in public on Sept. 3 to attend a concert. He was absent from this year's second...

Kim Jong-un's absence triggers speculation over his health North Korean leader failed to appear in public for nearly three weeks after appearing unstable on his legs By Julian Ryall, Tokyo 8:30AM BST 25 Sep 2014 The failure of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, to appear in public for nearly three weeks has triggered renewed speculation over his health and the stability of his regime. South Korea and governments around the region will be watching carefully to see whether Mr Kim takes part in a specially convened session of the North's rubber-stamp parliament today - and, if he does attend,...

South Korea will pay even closer attention to rogue neighbour North Korea's parliamentary session on 25 September, after reports that its supreme leader Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for three weeks. South Korean reports claim that the dictator has not been seen since attending a concert on 3 September with his wife Ri Sol Ju. Eyebrows were raised over the thought to be 31-year-old's health after he was seen hobbling from a suspected leg injury during a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the death of his grandfather Kim Il Sung in July. He was also seen...

The tubby dictator has become hooked on Emmental - and appeared on TV with a swollen face and a limp at a recent ­ceremony in the capital Pyongyang. Portly despot Kim Jong-un is absolutely crackers – about Swiss cheese. The tubby North Korean dictator has become hooked on Emmental and has gorged on so much that he has ballooned in size and is now walking with a limp. The 31-year-old fell in love with the holey treat when he was a student in Switzerland. He now imports it for his own consumption, while millions of his citizens starve. A gloomy...

Kim Jong-un's Family Consolidate Positions There are increasing signs that the immediate family of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are consolidating their positions in the regime, amid hints that his sister Yeo-jong has been promoted to a senior post. The official [North] Korean Central News Agency on Thursday reported that the Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju and Kim Yeo-jong, watched a performance in Pyongyang on Wednesday. In the status-conscious official media, the order of names speaks volumes, and KCNA named Yeo-jong ahead of Ri Jae-il, a senior official in charge of propaganda at the Workers Party. Previously she was...

North Korea Furious Over Kim Jong Un Parody Dance Video By Lakshmi Gandhi North Korean officials are learning that nothing can stop the spread of a viral video - especially one that features a fake Kim Jong Un dancing and fighting his way through a series of absurd situations. The latest parody video starring North Korea's leader features him being kicked to the ground by President Obama after pirouetting through a ballet studio, dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and acting as a member of the grounds crew at a baseball game, all to the tune of a Chinese pop...

VIDEO

North Korea's leader isn't pleased with the latest film from funnymen Seth Rogen and James Franco, in which the pair play assassins pretending to be TV newscasters in order to kill the North Korean president. A Kim spokesman called it an 'act of war' The government of North Korea is not pleased with Seth Rogen’s upcoming film The Interview, calling it a “wanton act of terror.” The movie—slated for release later this year—stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, who attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after landing an interview with despot. The North Korean government has promised...

ATLANTA, A new video game starring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will let gamers see what it feels like to hold the whole world in their hands, while playing as the dictator on their mobile devices. Created by Atlanta-based gaming studio Moneyhorse Games, Glorious Leader is a retro-style game that will also be released for PCs. While playing as the Glorious Leader, gamers can roam around on unicorns or narwhals, play basketball against Dennis Rodman or set fire to the American flag while battling it out with the United States. Jeff Miller, the CEO of Moneyhorse Games, told the...

That China has contingency plans on the books concerning the possible implosion of their starving communist gulag state of a neighbor certainly isn’t much of a surprise. China is North Korea’s last major economic and financial supporter, supplying the country with food, weapons, and energy, and headache-inducing, saber-rattling, off-the-wall, costly annoyance that North Korea may be for the Chinese, they are still fellow communists, after all — and that means covering their collective behind in the event of collapse and especially preventing any undesirable foreign influence from entering the region. (Hint: They’re talking about us/South Korea.) Via the Telegraph: China...

North Korea has developed nuclear weapons capable of being launched on its ballistic missile forces, according to a new report by a defense analyst. The Obama administration is seeking to hide the fact that North Korea possesses nuclear missile warheads, according to a report by Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon strategic analyst and director for forces policy at the office of the secretary of defense. Schneider’s statement came in a report published April 28 in the journal Comparative Strategy. According to the 16-page report, “The North Korean Nuclear Threat to the United States,” the Defense Intelligence Agency stated in an...

LONDON (AP) -- North Korean diplomats have asked the British government to take action against a London hair salon's poster poking fun at distinctively coiffured leader Kim Jong Un.