"Kim Jong Un is rumored to be dead, according to a Hong Kong broadcast network, while a Japanese magazine is reporting that North Korea’s rocket man is in a “vegetative state” after he underwent heart surgery earlier this month.
A vice director of HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television, a Beijing-backed broadcast network in Hong Kong, claimed that Kim was dead, citing a “very solid source.” Her post on the Chinese messaging app Weibo has been shared widely on social media, according to a report in the International Business Times.
Other unconfirmed reports, attributed to senior party sources in Beijing, said an operation to insert a stent went wrong because the surgeon’s hands were shaking so badly."
"Citing a United States official with direct knowledge of the matter, CNN reported late Monday the US is closely monitoring intelligence on the dictator’s health, and that he missed the April 15 celebration of his grandfather’s birthday, prompting speculations about his well-being.
The birthday of Kim Il Sung, the country’s founding father, is North Korea’s most important holiday, according to CNN.
Kim was last seen on April 11, presiding over a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s politburo.
NBC News correspondent Katy Tur tweeted that two US officials said Kim was brain dead after slipping into a coma."