SHARE:  
Join Our Email List
"The best way to build momentum and create a movement is to tell a good story." 
- Daron Roberts

"Practice becoming." 
- Kurt Vonnegut


"You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
- Buckminster Fuller

Did he have surgery or not?  The South Korean government says he did not.  I wonder if that is not simply a mole on his arm?  Do we have another arm photo from before to compare it to?

Kim Jong Un may have had heart surgery, based on fresh mark on wrist, experts say

foxnews.com · by Peter Aitken | Fox News

Kim Jong Un makes first public appearance in 20 days

The Korean Leader tours a fertilizer factory in his first public sighting in 20 days.
A new mark on  North Korean leader  Kim Jong-Un's wrist could suggest that he has had heart surgery, according to medical experts.
Kim made his first public appearance on Friday after a lengthy absence of nearly three weeks from the public eye. North Korean state-run media agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)  released pictures and video of Kim attending the opening of the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer factory near Pyongyang.
Closer examination of the video footage has revealed what appears to be a needle mark on Kim's right wrist, a mark that medical experts say could indicate that Kim had a "cardiovascular procedure."
The mark was not present during Kim's previous public outing on April 11,  according to the independent NK News.
"It looks like a right radial artery puncture ... [which is] often used for access to the coronary arteries for stent placement," one U.S.-trained medical professional told NK News, adding it appeared to be "about a week old."
"It is hard to tell from the foreshortening of the photograph, but it seems a bit medial. It is not an IV [intravenous], which wouldn't leave such a mark."
A South Korea surgeon also told NK News that the mark on Kim's arm "looks more plausible to be a procedure or check-up mark from a procedure on a heart-related issue."
The footage shows Kim talking to several senior officials, including his younger sister Kim Yo Jong, whom experts have identified as his most likely successor. Kim showed no discomfort as he performed his duties, though he did ride a green electric cart for a period of time.
The footage and images provided by state-owned media could not be verified.
ADDING CITY - In this Friday, May 1, 2020, photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits a fertilizer factory in Sunchon, South Pyongan province, near Pyongyang, North Korea. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Kim disappeared for a period of 20 days,  even missing North Korea's "Day of the Sun" celebration, which is held to honor the birth of Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea.
Weeks of speculation led to  rumors that Kim was in a vegetative state. A few outlets even outright reported that Kim had died.
Later reports indicated that Kim had possibly  undergone a cardiovascular procedure, possibly a stent insertion or replacement.
When asked about the report of Kim's sighting Friday,  President Trump told reporters at the White House: "I don't want to talk about it." Trump hinted earlier this week that he knew the status of Kim's health.
Fox News' Chris Irvine contributed to this report.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Personal Email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
Phone: 202-573-8647
Web Site:  www.fdd.org
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Subscribe to FDD's new podcast, Foreign Podicy
 
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.


If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."