Is Kim Jong dead? What Is Known So far

Various media reported regarding the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong, as he has not been seen in public since April 11th when he went to a party meeting.

Numerous reports were published citing sources in China and Japan that Kim Jong, who is believed to be 36 years old, is in serious condition after an cardiovascular operation, or even may be dead.

The accuracy of these reports is still unclear.

The South Korean government, which monitors North Korea closely, minimized rumors on April 21st and said Kim seems to still be running the country.

No unusual development has been detected within North Korea”, said South Korean President Kang Min Seok's spokesman.

Also, Chinese officials have downplayed rumors that Kim Jong is seriously ill.

American intelligence reportedly is monitoring the situation, but President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the United States had no reliable information on Kim Jong's health.

Speculations about his health have raised questions about who will assume the throne as leader of North Korea if Kim Jong dies. He has a very complicated family log and his three talking children are too young to lead, but his sister, Kim Yo-jong, is considered to be a powerful figure who could run the country already.

How did reports about Kim Jong Un's health begin?

It all started on April 15th, when Kim Jong failed to present himself at a party commemorating the birth of Kim Il-sung, his grandfather and founder of North Korea this date is the country's most important holiday.

Then the rumors intensified when a South Korean media published a story saying that the North Korean leader had undergone heart surgery and was being healed in a villa outside Pyongyang, the country's capital. The report relied on one unnamed source within North Korea.

Reuters reported Friday that China sent a team of medical experts to North Korea to consult Kim Jong's health, citing three sources. But it is not clear what health developments this is about and the Chinese government did not make a statement about Reuters.

The mystery was added to the publication of satellite images Saturday by a Washington-based North Korean monitoring project “38 North”. Images showed that what appears to be Kim Jong's private train, in a resort town in North Korea.

The train presence does not confirm the whereabouts of North Korean leader or indicate nothing about his health, but makes emphasis on reports that Kim Jong is standing in a elite area on the eastern coast of the country”, 38 North said.

As with most lonely kings, news and reporting are almost impossible to verify.

The government vigorously controls its media devices and has refused to publish even the most basic information about the Kim family, including Kim Jong's age, the existence of his children, and when he married his wife.