"Whatever it is that the government does, sensible Americans would prefer that the government does it to somebody else. This is the idea behind foreign policy."
- P. J. O'Rourke
"A strong, unwavering relationship between the U.S. and its allies Japan and South Korea is necessary for the national and economic security of all three countries."
- Lois Frankel
"The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom."
- Voltaire
Conspiracy theories do not just exist in the US or with Q-Anon. The article even says Kim Yo-jong is using a body double. Yes we can chuckle about this (I certainly do) but we should also realize this does illustrate the regime's paranoia and its focus on regime survival (not survival of north Korea, the nation-state, or the Korean people in the north -but survival of the regime). I would think there are a number of ways to take advantage of this paranoia.
The other issue is the use of a body double if in fact Kim becomes incapacitated or dies. Will this body double "buy time" to work through the transition process that will likely be complex if there is no designated successor.
Kim Jong-un 'hires body double over assassination fears' claims bizarre theory
EXCLUSIVE: It comes as North Korea's reclusive leader goes another 20 days without appearing on state media, following last month's rumours the dictator had died after heart surgery
North Korea 's leader
Kim Jong-un and his sister are both using body doubles as a way of protecting themselves from potential assassination, an expert on North Korea has claimed.
Speaking to Daily Star Online, Chinese human rights activist Jennifer Zeng explained why she believes Kim, 36, is now using a double.
"The main reason is, if you look at the new and old photos, the differences are quite obvious, especially the teeth, and the arms," she said.
"Kim had mysteriously disappeared for a while from public eyes before that event, and it was very unusual for him to be absent at North Korea's most important ceremony, and Communist countries have a history of using body doubles.
"All these make me think that it was a body double that appeared in the latest occasion."
Kim Jong-un is using a body double, a human rights activist has claimed(Image: @jenniferatntd/Twitter)
Many social media users have called on the CIA to investigate the bizarre theory following much speculation about the dictator's health.
One Twitter user wrote: "Still speculation about Kim Jong-un. Dead or alive? Body double?"
Tagging the CIA in his tweet, he went on: "Months will go by and there will be no answers. You know what I think. We'll have to see.
"In six months it'll be clarified? Maybe not."
Another user shared two pictures of Kim, adding: "So this new Kim Jong-un is definitely a body double, different teeth, different earlobes. CIA please investigate."
Jennifer, a prominent opponent of both
China and North Korea's regimes, also claimed the
dictator's sister Kim Yo-jong is also using a body double.
The activist shared a series of pictures on her Twitter earlier this month showing apparent differences between two pictures of the siblings.
She went on: "Preventing assassination is one main reason for using a body double. It's just more convenient too."
Jennifer Zeng shared a number of pictures showing Kim before and after his absence from public life(Image: @jenniferatntd/Twitter)
North Korea's reclusive despot hasn't been seen on state TV for 20 days, sparking further rumours about his absence.
The prominent critic of Pyongyang also claimed Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong is using a body double(Image: @jenniferatntd/Twitter)
But if he is using a body double to cover up a health crisis, protect himself from assassination, or uncover traitors in his circle, he wouldn't be the first despot to use such a tactic.
Joseph Stalin, the bloodthirsty dictator of the Soviet Union, used a body double to cover for him.
Felix Dadaev, a former dancer and juggler, was ordered to work at the Kremlin in the Russian capital Moscow as a body double for the dictator.
He remained silent about his work for more than half a century after Stalin's death, fearing he would be killed if he opened his mouth.
Many dictators have used body doubles in the past, including the leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin(Image: Wikipedia)
But in 2008, at the age of 88, Felix came forward to write his autobiography.
He said he was one of four men hired to impersonate the supreme leader, taking his place in motorcades, at rallies and even on official newsreel footage.
His main job was to save the real Stalin from assassination plots as well as boring public ceremonies the dictator didn't want to attend.
Other leaders who have reportedly used body doubles include former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and
Adolf Hitler.
Nazi Germany's dictator was known to have hired at least one body double by the name of Gustav Weler.
The
CIA frequently investigated the potential use of body doubles by foreign leaders as part of their Psychological Profile Unit.
This was set up in the wake of
World War Two as part of a growing use of psychoanalysis to understand the behaviour of world leaders.
The CIA even reportedly hired its own body doubles of world leaders as part of its propaganda war.
In 1998, the New York Times alleged intelligence agents in the 1950s tried to bring down Indonesian President Sukarno by hiring a body double to star in a porno.
The sex tape showed the Sukarno lookalike in bed with a blonde woman pretending to be a Soviet agent.
They hoped the resulting humiliation would drive the president from office but it was ultimately unsuccessful.
Daily Star Online has approached the CIA for comment.
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."
