Kim Jong-Un may have been injured in MISSILE tests, says North Korean defector in latest bizarre claim
KIM Jong-Un may have been seriously injured during one of his military's controversial missile tests, believes a former state official.
The North Korean leader has not been seen for around two weeks and there are mounting reports he is either gravely ill or even dead.
The rogue state launched multiple cruise missiles into the sea and Sukhoi jets fired air-to-surface missiles on April 14 in a show of military might ahead of parliamentary elections in neighbouring South Korea.
The projectiles were fired Tuesday morning from sites near Munchon and neighboring Wonsan - where Kim's private train has been pictured on satellite images.
Lee Jeong Ho, who has defected to the US , said those tests would not have taken place without the green light from Kim - which means he must have been well when the missiles were launched.
They took place the day before Kim notably missed an annual birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il-sung.
Lee told the newspaper: “Kim was absent from the reports of the tests while no footage of the missile launch and the training of combat aircrafts was released, which points to a possibility of an unexpected accident that might have been caused by debris or fire."
The former official said footage of such tests would not be allowed to be broadcast without Kim's say so further fuelling the bizarre theory he has been injured.
It is not unknown for rocket launches to go wrong in North Korea where the military is reported to fire missiles before they are properly tested.
In 2017, Kim test-fired an intermediate-range missile to mark the Day of the Sun but the rocket exploded soon after take off.
Donald Trump infamously dubbed his North Korean counterpart Rocket Man over is apparent love of launches.
And in 2017 official figures showed HALF of his 75 public appearances were related to military activities.
On Sunday a top US senator revealed he would be "shocked" if Kim is not dead or incapacitated.
However the Republican said he believed the fact Pyongyang was staying silent was telling.
He added: "President Trump is willing to do business with North Korea in a win-win fashion.
"So if this guy is dead, I hope the guy who takes over will work with President Trump to make North Korea a better place for everybody."
Meanwhile, neighbouring South Korea has insisted the missing despot is "alive and well."
President Moon Jae-in's foreign policy advisor poured cold water on reports Kim had died by claiming he is actually staying at his holiday palace on the North Korean coast.
The US are also closely monitoring the situation as China dispatched a medical team in an attempt to find out the truth from the highly secretive nation.
It followed days of speculation over the health of the tubby 36-year-old, who has not seen publicly for two weeks.
Chinese journalist Shijian Xingzou said a “very solid source” told her the North Korean leader had died.
She has 15 million followers on Chinese social media site Weibo, and she is also the niece of one of the the country's foreign ministers.
Separately, a Japanese media outlet claimed Kim was in a “vegetative state” after undergoing heart surgery.
Weekly newspaper Shukan Gendai claimed he was visiting the countryside when he clutched his chest and collapsed.
A member of his entourage gave CPR and escorted him to hospital.
But the dictator was left severely ill after a delayed or botched procedure to fit a stent in an artery, it was claimed.
Another report from Beijing claimed that the heart op went wrong because the terrified surgeon’s hands kept shaking.
Kim was last seen on April 11 at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party to discuss the coronavirus threat.
On Tuesday Daily NK, an online newspaper based in South Korea, claimed the surgery was on April 12.
It was reported it was that which forced him to miss the national birthday celebrations of his late grandfather.
Other rumours stated he was staying at his holiday home in Wonsan after leaving Pyongyang as advisors had contracted coronavirus.
Satellite pictures released by North Korea watchers 38 North reveal what is believed to be his private armoured train parked near the resort this week.
US national security adviser Robert O’Brien confirmed on Wednesday the Trump administration was monitoring the reports on Kim's health “very closely”.
But South Korean officials reported no unusual activity within its neighbor, and President Trump later said he thought the reports of Kim’s ill-health were “incorrect”.
Trump, who met Kim in 2018, said “I think the report was incorrect,” though he declined to say if he had been in touch with North Korean officials.
North Korea remains silent and its likely the world will not know for sure whether he is dead or ill until it is announced on the secretive regime's carefully controlled state TV.
Speaking on Friday, a South Korean government source reiterated that their intelligence was that Kim was still alive and should be making an appearance soon.