NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was absent from Saturday's media coverage of festivities celebrating the founding of the country's armed forces, as rumors and unconfirmed reports swirl around the region about the dictator's state of health, ranging from being in a "vegetative" state to being dead.
1010 WINS has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment on the rumors and reports.
Kim's absence from the media coverage comes two days after China dispatched on Thursday a team -- which included government officials and medical experts -- from Beijing to North Korea to "to advise" on Kim, according to Reuters, citing three people familiar with the situation.
Reuters reported that it was unable to determine the exact purpose of the trip, but again, it comes as media reports from South Korea and China, in particular, have claimed that the dictator is in extremely poor health -- or worse.
A senior member of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department led the delegation, two sources told Reuters.
Also adding to the confusion are the remarks on Saturday of Beijing-backed HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television's vice director, who is also a niece of a Chinese foreign minister, who claims Kim is dead. On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, she claims she has a "very solid source."
More confusion? The same day, Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai reported that Kim is in a “vegetative state” after he allegedly underwent heart surgery earlier this month. It also reported that a team from China was sent to North Korea.
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