They said: “All sorts of rumors are spreading.
“ But even though the government is aware of all this, there has been no centralized response to it, either in the form of lectures or otherwise. That’s really strange. ”
In the past rumors about the North Korean leader or his family would have provoked a rapid response from authorities.
The source said that the population is “frightened” about even hearing rumors that Kim has died so everyone pretends not to know, but “everyone knows”.
Authorities are also reportedly “hunting down” whoever brought a video into the country’s border region suggesting Kim was dead.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said America is monitoring reports about Kim’s health, days after president Donald Trump said the leader is alive .
“We haven’t seen him. We don’t have any information to report today, we’re watching it closely,” Pompeo told Fox News.
(Image: Getty Images)
Pompeo said the US was also monitoring the situation more broadly in North Korea, which borders China, given the risk presented by the coronavirus .
“There is a real risk that there will be a famine, a food shortage, inside of North Korea too,” he added.
“We’re watching each of those things closely, as they have a real impact on our mission set, which to ultimately denuclearize North Korea.”
Read More Top news stories from Mirror Online
North Korea has never announced who would follow Kim in the event he is incapacitated, and with few details known about his young children , analysts say his sister Kim Yo Jong and loyalists could form a regency until a successor is old enough to take over.
Kim Yo Jong was promoted to the head of the propaganda department of the Workers’ Party of Korea in October 2019.
Kim became leader when his father Kim Jong Il died in 2018 from a heart attack.
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