By Kang Seung-woo
A North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker-elect's unconfirmed remarks regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health are raising some eyebrows, including those of a fellow defector.
In response to CNN, which broke the news on Monday that Kim was gravely ill, the government said he seemed to be dealing with state affairs as usual, adding there was no intelligence regarding rumors about his health.
However, Ji Seong-ho, who won a National Assembly seat through the proportional representation system in last week's general election, recounted to local media that his former country's leader is in a critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
"It is true that Kim is seriously ill, so he may not come back to power," Ji said, citing a source inside North Korea.
Ji also said a succession battle is taking place in the North.
"We need to wait and see whether the leader's sister Kim Yo-jong will step in or if his wife Ri Sol-ju will take over," he added.
Ji went further, saying the North Korean leader has a mistress and said that she also stands a chance of leading the country.
"Kim and the woman have a son," he said.
However, many questioned the credibility of Ji's contentious remarks.
"How can a man living in Seoul know what is happening in the North's elite class," said Kim Hong-geol, chairman of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation (KCRC). The KCRC is a South Korean private group promoting inter-Korean cooperation.
"It does not make sense for a lawmaker-elect to make such unconfirmed remarks."
Thae Yong-ho, another North Korean defector who won a parliamentary seat in the election, also showed skepticism regarding Ji's statement. Thae is a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom.
"The supreme leader's whereabouts are protected with intense secrecy, so very few people know these details. Considering the gravity of the situation, it is impossible for (news of) his poor health to spread to the border with China."
Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the main opposition United Future Party who leads the parliament's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, told reporters that there was no intimate information to relay in regards to Kim's condition.
"Kim seems to be ill, but with no emergency manual in place, there appears to be no battle for succession," he said.
Critics say Ji, who has been an advocate for North Korean human rights after fleeing the totalitarian regime in 2006, needs to act as a lawmaker, not a human activist, when handling sensitive inter-Korean affairs.
"It is true that Ji, Thae and others have sources inside the North, but it is questionable whether they have access to such important information like Kim's whereabouts and health issues," said Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University.
"They need to remain cautious in dealing with high-stakes North Korea-related issues."
A North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker-elect's unconfirmed remarks regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health are raising some eyebrows, including those of a fellow defector.
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| Ji Seong-ho |
However, Ji Seong-ho, who won a National Assembly seat through the proportional representation system in last week's general election, recounted to local media that his former country's leader is in a critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
"It is true that Kim is seriously ill, so he may not come back to power," Ji said, citing a source inside North Korea.
Ji also said a succession battle is taking place in the North.
"We need to wait and see whether the leader's sister Kim Yo-jong will step in or if his wife Ri Sol-ju will take over," he added.
Ji went further, saying the North Korean leader has a mistress and said that she also stands a chance of leading the country.
"Kim and the woman have a son," he said.
However, many questioned the credibility of Ji's contentious remarks.
"How can a man living in Seoul know what is happening in the North's elite class," said Kim Hong-geol, chairman of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation (KCRC). The KCRC is a South Korean private group promoting inter-Korean cooperation.
"It does not make sense for a lawmaker-elect to make such unconfirmed remarks."
Thae Yong-ho, another North Korean defector who won a parliamentary seat in the election, also showed skepticism regarding Ji's statement. Thae is a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom.
"The supreme leader's whereabouts are protected with intense secrecy, so very few people know these details. Considering the gravity of the situation, it is impossible for (news of) his poor health to spread to the border with China."
Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the main opposition United Future Party who leads the parliament's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, told reporters that there was no intimate information to relay in regards to Kim's condition.
"Kim seems to be ill, but with no emergency manual in place, there appears to be no battle for succession," he said.
Critics say Ji, who has been an advocate for North Korean human rights after fleeing the totalitarian regime in 2006, needs to act as a lawmaker, not a human activist, when handling sensitive inter-Korean affairs.
"It is true that Ji, Thae and others have sources inside the North, but it is questionable whether they have access to such important information like Kim's whereabouts and health issues," said Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University.
"They need to remain cautious in dealing with high-stakes North Korea-related issues."
