Ryongchon Rumor Central

All the news that’s unverified or fit for speculation is right here. Of course, in a land where people who report real news end up in unmarked graves, the circulation of rumors is news. So here’s the latest from NK Gulag:

We have recently received information that Kim Jong Il was not on his private train which passed Dandung in China last April 22.

According to an officer of the Guard Headquarter under the National Defense in connection with NKGulag, Kim Jong Il’s guards and the Security Agency under the National Defense had found out the possible movement in Yongchon area for a such plot, and they had scrutinized the region to assure of the information which eventually led Kim Jong Il to take a safer transportation.

They report that Kim Jong Il had secretly taken a ship to arrive at Nampo harbor on April 22. The supporting evidence is the tight security by concentrated forces at Nampo harbor but rather loose security at Pyongyang train station on Kim Jong Il’s arrival. If Kim Jong Il had taken the train, the Pyongyang train station would have been busy preparing welcome ceremony with a tight security in advance. In fact, there was no farewell ceremony which is usually held on the way home after Kim Jong Il’s visit to other countries.

According to the above information, we have come to a conclusion that Kim Jong Il was not on his private train at all on April 22, and that his private cars, Lincoln and Mercedes Benz, had been driving along with the train to disguise his presence on the train. Such testimonies seem very credible.

In addition to this, even the medias have hard time reporting about what Kim Jong Il did or where he went during his visit to China. Only a short clip of him and the President of China, Hu Jintao watching a performance together was shown on TV later.

The insiders with such sources are credential because of their supporting social status and positions in North Korea. They also report that about 30 suspects, including military high commanders, had been arrested for an investigation on this matter.

I wouldn’t take that evidence to any jury, but it’s interesting that this sort of gossip is circulating, given the likely penalty for spreading it. If that’s indicative of the word on the streets of Pyongyang, it’s pretty apparent that someone in the Emerald City hasn’t been wearing his green goggles. The most believeable part of this is the climate of suspicion, back-stabbing, and bloodletting that it suggests.