North Korea fires shots at South Korea guard post to show Kim Jong-un’s ‘healthy and still in power’, expert claims
NORTH Korean troops fired shots towards a South Korean guard post on the border to show Kim Jong-un is still the boss, a regional expert has claimed.
According to the South Korean military, troops from the rogue state fired several bullets at a military post inside the fortified border between the two countries.
"Yesterday, Kim was trying to show he is perfectly healthy, and today, Kim is trying to mute all kinds of speculation that he may not have full control over the military," he said.
"Rather than going all the way by firing missiles and supervising a missile launch, Kim could be reminding us, 'yes I'm healthy and I'm still in power'."
The armed exchange came along the heavily militarized border which has divided the peninsula since the Korea War.
Officials in Seoul said they were now speaking to their counterparts in Pyongyang to prevent an escalation.
Sunday’s incident came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted for the first time in public in 20 days amid speculation about his health.
And as an expert said Kim Jong-un could unleash a wave of gruesome public executions in a bid to crush dissent after rumours about his death circulated.
The North Korean despot is also said to be poised to issue a fresh spate of nuclear threats against the West to re-establish his credibility after he was mysteriously missing for weeks.
Rumours about his death first circulated when Kim failed to appear for celebrations marking the birth of his grandfather Kim Il-sung on April 15, a key date in the country’s calendar.
But the country’s state-controlled news agency KCNA reported on Friday that Kim cut the ribbon at the opening of a fertiliser factory.
Now North Korean experts fear Kim will usher in a spate of killings as a way of sweeping away Pyongyang’s old-guard and to cement his own position.
The tyrant previously ordered his 67-year-old uncle to be murdered along with several loyal officers and imprisoned 200 officials for alleged treachery in a brutal purge.
Deputy Dean at the University of Essex Professor Natasha Lindstaedt told : “He’s always had this very vindictive pattern of showing his strength by killing people. It sends a clear message.
I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!
Donald Trump
“The military has to keep him happy. The smallest thing is perceived as disloyalty.
“I think he may have sheltered from coronavirus and any fear of a coup plot would mean he’d come back with a vengeance.”
On Saturday, President Donald Trump said he is "glad to see" Kim Jong-un is doing "well" after the despot had vanished for several weeks.
The pictures marked the despot's first public outing in 20 days amid rumours he had died.
Kim vanished from public life nearly three weeks ago sparking reports he had an operation that went wrong or was injured in military missile tests.
Last week, China reportedly to North Korea to check on the leader's health.
However South Korean president Moon Jae-in's foreign policy advisor Chung-in Moon has said they believe Kim has been staying in Wonsan since April 13 - with "no suspicious movements".
South Korea's minister for North Korean affairs said he believed Kim has not been seen because he is dodging the coronavirus.
Kim Yeon-chul said at a parliamentary hearing: "It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il-sung’s birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns."
He said there were at least two instances since mid-January where Kim went missing for nearly 20 days.
'VIRUS WORRIES'
He added: "I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation."
This is not the time the 36-year-old has disappeared from public view - in 2014, Kim went missing for more than a month, only to reappear on state TV walking with a limp.
Yesterday Donald Trump suggested he knew what had happened to Kim, hinting he was unwell as he said he hoped "everything will be fine".
The president said: “Kim Jong-un? I can’t tell you exactly. Yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can’t talk about it now.
“I just wish him well.”
A former CIA analyst revealed even the chosen few normally allowed to get close to Kim probably have no idea where he is, let alone whether he has died.
The secretive way North Korea operates severely restricts the flow of information related to its top leaders - especially Kim.
Meanwhile, experts claim Kim appeared to have a on his wrist in new footage - which suggests he's had heart surgery.
Video footage of Kim's visit to the factory in Suncheon seemed to show a small wound on his right wrist – a mark which was not present on his previous public appearance on April 11.