Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Where is Kim Jong-un?
Position‹2 of 4›
Kim Jong-un is in hospital
Argument1 of 2›

Kim Jong Un is in surgery

A South Korean website circulated rumours that the leader was undergoing heart surgery in Hyangsan.

The argument

According to a news report, Kim Jong-un underwent surgery at a hospital located in Hyangsan on April 12. This news source from South Korea originated from the Daily NK, a news source controlled by North Korean writers that defected from North Korea. It further stated that Kim Jong-un experienced difficulties with his health due to smoking, obesity, and exhaustion. Since the surgery, he was transported to a private treatment facility. This explains his prolonged disappearance from the government. Additionally, news sources reported that his last public appearance was on April 11. After leading a meeting, Kim Jon-un was transferred and admitted to the hospital. This is not the first time Kim Jong-un disappeared from the public eye because of medical issues. In 2014, he disappeared for almost six weeks before coming back with a walking stick. South Korea claimed that he left for surgery on his ankle. North Korean news confirmed that Kim Jong-un suffered from a medical issue. Therefore, it is likely that Kim Jong-Un is in the hospital since he has disappeared for medical issues before.

Premises

[P1]News reports from Daily NK indicate Kim Jong-un underwent surgery on April 12 in Hyangsan and was moved to a private treatment facility, explaining his absence since his April 11 public appearance. [P2] Kim Jong-un's known health risks from smoking, obesity, and exhaustion make a hospitalization plausible. [P3] He has previously disappeared from public view for medical reasons, as in his six-week 2014 absence for ankle surgery. [C] Therefore, Kim Jong-un is most likely in the hospital.

Counter-arguments

South Korea's chief policymaker denounced the rumors surrounding Kim Jong-un's health in a statement. He claimed that the South Korean government investigated and found "nothing unusual." Donald Trump also claimed that the rumors were false, finding no basis for believing Kim Jong-un's heath was in danger.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The report rests on a single outlet working from anonymous sources inside a closed country, and South Korea's own government said it had checked and found nothing unusual — a directly contradicting source with better access than the one relied on. [Rejecting P2] Health risks make hospitalisation possible, not actual. Smoking and weight are consistent with any state of health in a given fortnight and cannot support an inference about this particular absence. [Rejecting P3] The earlier disappearance cuts both ways. It ended with a public reappearance and no confirmation of the specific procedure that had been rumoured, which is a reason to treat an absence from view, in a state that discloses almost nothing about its leader's health, as weak evidence for any particular explanation.