North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (KCNA-Yonhap) via The Korea Herald
SEOUL — The US government has extensive contingency plans in place in case North Korean leader Kim Jong-un dies or is unable to rule due to failing health, Fox News reported Wednesday, adding that the plans address the potential for a mass-scale humanitarian crisis.
Citing unnamed sources in the US government, the news channel said the plans involve relying on China to intervene to contain any mass exodus of North Korean refugees.
The report came amid lingering speculation concerning Kim’s well-being, with some floating the possibility he might be incapacitated after undergoing heart surgery.
A day earlier on Tuesday, CNN reported that Kim was gravely ill, jolting financial markets in Seoul. South Korea’s presidential office brushed off the report, saying there were no unusual signs coming from Pyongyang.
On Monday, the Seoul-based online media outlet Daily NK said Kim appeared to be receiving treatment after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry reaffirmed its stance Wednesday, saying there still were no movements in North Korea that would signal anything out of the ordinary.
“We’re monitoring North Korean media and we’ve seen letters exchanged between leaders, congratulatory and other birthday events,” a ministry official said, referring to the state media reports that Kim had sent congratulatory messages to several countries, including one to Syria on Saturday, another to Zimbabwe on Sunday and to Cuba on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Kim replied to a letter from the Syrian president congratulating him on the anniversary of his grandfather’s birth on April 15, according to the state media.
John Hyten, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, assessed likewise, saying Kim was still in full control of North Korea’s armed forces, including its nuclear arsenal.
Hyten told a press briefing Wednesday he had no reason to think otherwise, but added that he did not have enough intelligence to confirm or deny the reports.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration did not know whether Kim was ill, while his national security adviser Robert O’Brien said the US was closely monitoring reports on Kim and keeping an eye on North Korea.
North Korea has yet to respond to speculation about its leader’s health or whereabouts.
Kim’s absence from the anniversary event on April 15, a national holiday he had observed every year since coming to power in 2012, prompted the global speculation.
Seoul officials say Pyongyang has never officially responded to rumors when they concern high-profile figures, and that the state-run media may soon reveal what the 36-year-old leader has been up to recently.