# Kim Jung-un in very serious condition **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241 "2020-04-21T02:29:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/21 "2020-04-21T06:40:54Z")
Wll, it’s certainly a good thing that there’s no Covid 19 in North Korea:rolleyes:, or I might be worried that he either had it or was at risk. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/22 "2020-04-21T08:53:45Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > May his suffering be accute, brief and final. You misspelled “prolonged.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/23 "2020-04-21T09:58:26Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > Kim Jong-deux Wasn’t there a poster here who thought that _Kim Jung-Il"_ meant _“Kim Jung the 2nd”_? ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/24 "2020-04-21T12:04:22Z")
I’m impressed that he had surgery at all. Surgery requires sedation. Sedation requires trust that the procedure will be done correctly… and trust that you won’t just be killed & replaced. I would imagine trust on that level must be terribly difficult for a dictator. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/25 "2020-04-21T14:46:59Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > May his suffering be acute, brief and final. > [@running\_coach](#): > > Why brief? > [@panache45](#): > > You misspelled “prolonged.” I rushed to print. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/26 "2020-04-21T15:47:49Z")
Here’s my guess what happened: Dear Leader got a splinter in his finger. The country’s best surgeon was rushed in with a pair of tweezers. He removed it successfully. Now NK’s media can say that Kim recovered from a near-certain fatal condition thanks to his awesome healing powers! ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/27 "2020-04-21T15:57:19Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > The most disturbing thing about this is realizing when Kim Il Sung’s birthday was. > > Death of Lincoln, Titanic Sank, the Belfast Blitz, Kim Il Sung’s birth. > > Why did so many tragic historical events fall on my birthday? I was born on April 14th, and learned early that the Titanic hit the iceberg on my birthday, and that Abraham Lincoln was shot. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/28 "2020-04-21T17:10:18Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > So per that CNN story > > - one US official says he’s in grave danger, yet CNN doesn’t quote what the official actually said > - another US official says that the severity is hard to access > - and a report from Daily NK says that his condition has improved > > but the headline is “grave danger.” > WTF CNN? [NBC cites more than one source](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/kim-jong-un-illness-rumors-south-korean-markets-take-hit-n1188511) > [@](#): > > Several U.S. officials told NBC News that U.S. intelligence reporting indicates that Kim recently had cardiovascular surgery and has been out of public view for days. Some officials said the intelligence suggests Kim may be incapacitated. U.S. intelligence and agencies and the military are working to figure out his health status, officials said. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/29 "2020-04-21T17:16:44Z")
Is there anyone anywhere near the line of succession who’s suspected of any degree of sanity? Or at least insanity of an internationally-acceptable sort? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/30 "2020-04-21T17:38:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is there anyone anywhere near the line of succession who’s suspected of any degree of sanity? Or at least insanity of an internationally-acceptable sort? There is the sister who switched pens on him when he and Trump were signing their BFF document. The CIA may have put curare on it. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/31 "2020-04-21T18:23:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is there anyone anywhere near the line of succession who’s suspected of any degree of sanity? Or at least insanity of an internationally-acceptable sort? I am not convinced that Kim Jung Un is particularly insane. His behaviors could be seen as pretty rational given the unique environment he was born into. A fair amount of cutthroat attitude is necessary in a family competing for succession. Fail in the wrong way and it can be deadly. Winning that succession fight also has a big upside. Once in power the risks are still great if you lose a tight grip on power. Acting in a way that the rest of the world considers crazy looks an awful lot like the sane choice for someone born into the Kim family. The problem is that it is an internationally unacceptable sort of sanity. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/32 "2020-04-21T18:54:25Z")
[South Korea’s saying they doubt the reports are true](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/kim-jong-treatment-cardiovascular-surgery-report-200421020108396.html). China seems to be being noncommittal (same article.) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/33 "2020-04-21T22:33:02Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > The most disturbing thing about this is realizing when Kim Il Sung’s birthday was. > > Death of Lincoln, Titanic Sank, the Belfast Blitz, Kim Il Sung’s birth. > > Why did so many tragic historical events fall on my birthday? My birthdate had Krystalnacht and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which I thought were nice 20th century bookends. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/34 "2020-04-22T03:25:42Z")
I suppose all we can do now is wait and hope. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/35 "2020-04-22T04:32:53Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > May his suffering be accute, brief and final. I read that as "acute, brief and \*anal \* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/36 "2020-04-22T06:31:30Z")
Kim is Chump’s wet dream. I wonder if he will declare a period of mourning. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/37 "2020-04-24T00:08:09Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Wasn’t there a poster here who thought that _Kim Jung-Il"_ meant _“Kim Jung the 2nd”_? I remember it being used as an example of the way sans serif fonts suck when a capital I precedes one or more lower-case Ls. Also, I seem to remember George W made that mistake and called him Kim Jung the 2nd. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/38 "2020-04-24T00:17:09Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > I’m impressed that he had surgery at all. Surgery requires sedation. Sedation requires trust that the procedure will be done correctly… and trust that you won’t just be killed & replaced. I would imagine trust on that level must be terribly difficult for a dictator. Yep, but if your choices are 1) surgery without anesthesia, 2) surgery with anesthesia, or 3) let the health condition (whatever it is) worsen until it kills you, you’ll take your chances with Door 2#. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Probably his brother, Kim Jong-chul. Jong-chul is the older brother and at one time was the heir apparent. But their father, Kim Jong-il, decided he liked Jong-un better and demoted Jong-chul. But Jong-chul is still alive and available. Jong-chul is described in Wikipedia as “does not involve himself in politics, leading a quiet life in Pyongyang where he plays guitar in a band.” Doesn’t sound like someone with the ambition or cunning to be a head of state. > [@Monty](#): > > Wasn’t there a poster here who thought that _Kim Jung-Il"_ meant _“Kim Jung the 2nd”_? I thought this for many years, until I was corrected. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/39 "2020-04-24T01:23:25Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Jong-chul is described in Wikipedia as “does not involve himself in politics, leading a quiet life in Pyongyang where he plays guitar in a band.” Doesn’t sound like someone with the ambition or cunning to be a head of state. Might be somebody with the ambition and cunning to stay alive. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241/40 "2020-04-24T02:20:22Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Yep, but if your choices are 1) surgery without anesthesia, 2) surgery with anesthesia, or 3) let the health condition (whatever it is) worsen until it kills you, you’ll take your chances with Door 2#. > > Jong-chul is described in Wikipedia as “does not involve himself in politics, leading a quiet life in Pyongyang where he plays guitar in a band.” Doesn’t sound like someone with the ambition or cunning to be a head of state. > > I thought this for many years, until I was corrected. IIRC, Bashar al-Assad was in England practicing medicine when he was tapped to take over the family business of dictatorship. I’d say he’s adapted well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jung-un-in-very-serious-condition/852241.md?page=3)