Is Kim Jong Il Dying?
Broadly speaking, we all are, but if you ever see a face this dessicated in the mirror, seek medical attention. Kim Jong Il emerged from his seclusion, reportedly from one of his seaside palaces where he’d been recovering from a stroke, to attend a memorial for his late god-king father. The man looks liked warmed-over death, and he needs some Rogaine:
A comparison of these pictures to images of the 67 year-old thug from early April, late April and June appears to confirm recent reports that Kim Jong Il’s health continues to decline, and he’s certainly aware of that. When a messianic malignant narcissist with weapons of mass destruction and no regard for human life becomes aware of his own mortality and contrasts it with his unrealized ambitions, we enter a very dangerous new phase. What ties Kim Jong Il to the future? His intention to transfer power to his son may be all that gives him a motive to avoid conflict. How dangerous? According to a recent clandestine report from inside North Korea, the country’s military high command recently forced soldiers to watch a recorded threat that the regime would use nuclear weapons against “enemies trying to destroy our Communist state from the inside.”
It’s also significant that the state has shown no recent audio or video of Kim Jong Il speaking:
North Korean TV showed recorded footage of the event taking place on Wednesday, with Kim looking thin and aloof, but he earlier appeared alert and walked briskly on stage followed by top military and ruling Workers’ Party officials. As nominal head of state, Kim Yong-nam delivered a memorial address as Kim sat slouched in his center-stage chair. Close-up shots showed him looking older than his 67 years. Kim typically does not speak when attending public events and did not appear to address the indoor ceremony. He has had an active public profile in recent months since re-emerging after a suspected stroke last year. [Reuters]
As anyone who has known a stroke victim knows, a stroke has an audible effect on a person’s speech. Don’t you suppose North Korea would release audio to show us how fully His Withering Majesty had recovered if it could? I close by simply adding my own wishes for a swift and permanent resolution to all of Kim Jong Il’s health problems.
What concerns me is how long the devil has been able to keep Castro alive. Maybe his satanic majesty is prolonging the Juche deity – but time will run out.
Pay close attention to the volume and perceived sincerity of mourners when KJI goes the way of all flesh. This will be a key indicator of the willingness of the poor impoverished and oppressed Norks to stand up against the inferior heir – they may see themselves on state-run TV and pick up on key cues known only to themselves. If they see what is actually brewing in the heart of non-Pyongyangers, the regime may experience its most credible challenge.
Tick…Tick…Tick….
“North Korean TV showed recorded footage of the event taking place on Wednesday, with Kim looking thin and aloof, but he earlier appeared alert and walked briskly on stage followed by top military and ruling Workers’ Party officials.”
So where are the corroborating images of Kim “walking briskly” or is the Western media just repeating details from the accompanying North Korean press release? Will have to watch Wednesday’s newscast when it becomes available later to see that frail figure can be seen doing something other than shuffling papers while trying not to look lifeless.
According to ABC News, Kim “limped slightly while walking into the packed Pyongyang auditorium in what is believed to be an effect from the stroke.” Did he walk briskly or limp slightly? The latter seems more plausible, especially given his plodding gait the last time he was filmed in the auditorium.
Many strokes do affect speech but I doubt that all of them do – I am no neurosurgeon.
At any rate, I have heard bad things about the son he is putting in charge. Almost a mental clone of the guy. The only hope might be if someone takes the opportunity of the transition to launch a coup but if Skeletor really is on the way out and his son, Skeletino, has been named successor, wouldn’t the transition already be a mere formality? The son is probably putting his stamp on everything at this moment.
AP writer Jack Kim needs check the meaning of “briskly” in his dictionary. The BBC showed the entire footage released to the Western media. There were only brief clips of him trundling to his seat and sitting there. Interestingly the North Korean TV nightly news broadcast for Wednesday was non-stop praise and worship for the Great Leader, yet no footage of the assembly was shown, let alone any images of Dear Leader. I guess the North Korean propaganda machine thought that the released footage would reassure Westerners but not North Koreans that KJI isn’t on his deathbed.
If you have been a regular reader of this site, then perhaps you overlooked previous threads in which we discussed the physiological signs of stroke damage, including not only facial assymmetry but also a slumping shoulder and arm.
Sorry, I am relatively new to One Free Korea and did not do a site search for “stroke” or “assymmetry”. Pardon me for assuming that most readers of this site might not be checking Daily NK’s Chinese edition. I only posted the link because Daily NK somehow did not include that article on the English page.
Speaking of Kim Jong-il’s face, right now Daily NK’s Japanese version has a funny photo of Kim Jong-il after getting cake thrown at the left side of his face. It’s part of advertisement by a human rights organization. This also doesn’t appear in Daily NK’s English edition.
http://japan.dailynk.com/japanese/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=5869