# Kim Jong Un Dead or What's going On? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593 "2012-02-12T06:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/1 "2012-02-12T06:23:52Z")
What is exactly going on? What do you think is going on? [Kim Jong Un-Dead](http://rt.com/news/north-korea-leader-dead-rumors-087/) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/2 "2012-02-12T06:37:39Z")
[No.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099691/Kim-Jong-Un-NOT-dead-Assassination-rumours-hoax-say-U-S-officials.html) > [@](#): > > American officials have shot down rumours that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was assassinated. > > The claim originated in China yesterday and rapidly circulated on Twitter and Chinese micro-blogging sites. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/3 "2012-02-12T07:55:34Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > What is exactly going on? What do you think is going on? > > [Kim Jong Un-Dead](http://rt.com/news/north-korea-leader-dead-rumors-087/) Kim Jong Undead, the harbinger of the Zombie Apocalypse! ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/4 "2012-02-12T08:14:17Z")
Are North Koreans up to something, do you think? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/5 "2012-02-12T08:16:07Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Are North Koreans up to something, do you think? Not if the rumor originated in China. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/6 "2012-02-12T08:17:51Z")
Are Chinese up to something, do you think? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/7 "2012-02-12T08:19:46Z")
[This](http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/10/kim-jong-un-assassination-rumours/) seems to explain what happened: Kim Jong-il 70th birthday celebration at the NK embassy in Beijing. > [@](#): > > It all seems to trace back to a message from Weibo user Hucaihe, who quipped that there was an ever-growing number of cars at the North Korean embassy. “It’s the first time I’ve seen this situation, did something happen in Korea?” > > The hint of trouble in the hermit kingdom was enough to get the attention of fellow Weibo users; that message has since been forwarded more than 12,000 times, which is only the tip of the iceberg. > > Despite the dubious nature of the rumour, the reports continued to gather steam, especially when a couple of American news outlets reported on the claims. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/8 "2012-02-12T08:20:36Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Not if the rumor originated in China. Too bad it is just a rumor. I heard the rumor might have been started by North Koreans to destabilize South Korea so they are in high alert mode. Not sure what to believe. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/9 "2012-02-12T08:24:55Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > I heard… You heard a rumor about the rumor? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/10 "2012-02-12T08:42:13Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > You heard a rumor about the rumor? :dubious: Yes, at this stage. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/11 "2012-02-12T18:02:29Z")
Maybe he really is dead, but they are waiting for the story about Whitney’s death to die down so this news won’t be buried on page 7 of the newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/12 "2012-02-12T18:04:42Z")
IF he’s dead, I score a lot of points in the Dead Pool. And North Korea is going to collapse. Nothing but win here, folks… ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-dead-or-whats-going-on/612593/13 "2012-02-12T18:51:20Z")
It would be a really, REALLY long road back for the citizens of North Korea, if their charade of a government suddenly up and disappeared. They’re so entrenched in their beliefs, and so isolated, that even if their regime were over tomorrow, I would wager it’d take 50-100 years for North Koreans to “catch up”. Even if the two Koreas were to reunite peacefully (the best possible and least likely scenario) how in the world would they even BEGIN to start re-educating 25 million brainwashed zombies? While keeping them fed and working, and establishing an economy and not losing sight of national security. (Let us not forget North Korea has nuclear weapons and South Korea doesn’t.) It would be quite a task. Also a very expensive undertaking. I sure hope the US doesn’t volunteer to help take things in hand.