 North Koreans grieve as they visit a portrait of their late leader Kim Jong-il on display in the plaza of the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in the North Korean capital, Wednesday. / AP-Yonhap |
By Park Si-soo
Did North Korean leader Kim Jong-il really die of a heart attack on a moving train Saturday morning on his way to a field inspection?
This is the question that keeps getting asked here despite North Korea’s official announcement of his death with an autopsy report as evidence. It was first asked immediately after Pyongyang’s tearful declaration of Kim’s demise through a “special broadcast” aired at noon Monday, in a knee-jerk reaction with which Seoul responds to most unusual acts in the reclusive state.
With no visible evidence quashing the suspicion, the conspiracy theory continues to mount with what analysts say are “plausible” scenarios questioning virtually every single word in the death notice.
Death on board train?
A big suspicion is whether Kim’s special train was moving when he died, something brought up Seoul’s spy agency chief.
Asked about the destination of the train, Won Sei-hoon, head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said there was “no sign” that the train was moving at 8:30 a.m., the declared time of Kim’s death, during a meeting with lawmakers at the National Assembly, Tuesday.
Won said the train stayed idle in Pyongyang from Friday to Sunday, citing NIS reports based on satellite images and other intelligence.
A ranking official of the ruling Grand National Party echoed Won’s view, citing what he called “credible” intelligence sources.
The official said the train was Yongsung Station in the North’s capital at the reported time of death, raising the possibility that Kim died in a stationary train. Some North Korea experts were skeptical, saying Kim used multiple special trains.
Saturday morning?
Another rumor states the North Korean leader died at his palace Friday night and his body was discovered by his security team. It continues that the communist regime manipulated the scene to make it seem he passed away while fulfilling a rigorous work schedule to keep his promise of making the North a “strong and prosperous” country by next year.
“If it turns out to be true, the regime used Kim’ death as a tool to boost public confidence in the regime,” a North Korea expert said.
Won said nothing had been confirmed about the rumor.
Heart attack?
The late North Korean leader was well known as a night owl, who used to wake up around noon. Also the mercury in Pyongyang at the announced time of his death hovered around minus 12 degrees centigrade, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
“Kim has cautiously taken part in outdoor activities since he suffered a stroke in 2008,” said an official. “Such cold weather could pose a grave health threat to stroke patients like Kim. Considering this, it’s questionable whether Kim actually went outside in the relatively early morning, braving the cold weather.”
There are some North Korean defectors here who remain suspicious of Pyongyang’s report on the cause of his death, raising very cautiously the possibility of Kim having been assassinated.
Rep. Chun Yo-ok of the ruling Grand National Party also raised the possibility that Kim might have been killed as a result of a power struggle inside the North.
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