(False) Rumours flooding Twitter & Weibo: Kim Jung Un assassinated

[Wayfarer]

Kim Jong Un might be dead. Or he might be on the run. Or there's a coup to remove him from power. It could have been an assassination.
Or it could be nothing.
Nobody's really sure what's going on right now in North Korea, but the Internet is freaking out about it.
It started just a few hours ago when Twitter and its Chinese equivalent, Weibo, began exploding with rumors after it was reported that several black cars had rushed to the embassy in Beijing where Jong-Un, the 28-year-old recently appointed leader of North Korea, was staying.
The Atlantic Wire was the first to jump on the story. Now major news agencies including Reuters, Forbes, and The Huffington Post are fueling the buzz about the rumors. Still, nothing has been officially confirmed or denied.
Since news from North Korea is controlled by the government and very closely restricted, a confirmation will be hard to come by, and the truth even harder still.
Gawker is trying to use crowdsourcing of information from its readers in China to find an answer.
Meanwhile, an interesting point to consider: last month, MSNBC reported that Jong-Un's half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, said Jong-Un won't "last long." Whether this statement has any connection to the current situation has not been determined.


Read more: There's An Unsubstantiated Rumor Going Around That Kim Jong Un Is Dead

There's An Unsubstantiated Rumor Going Around That Kim Jong Un Is Dead

Kim Jong-un assassination rumors: Twitter, Weibo light up with reports of Kim Jong-il son's death | News | National Post

Kim Jong Un Death Rumor Explodes On Twitter, Weibo

Unfolding as we speak... do you think this potentially can change a lot within N.Korea?

[Doktor]

Do they have internet?

[TopHatter]

I would be surprised if this was true.

If true, then things on the Korean Peninsula are going to get...difficult.

[Parihaka]

I would be surprised if this was true.

If true, then things on the Korean Peninsula are going to get...difficult.

Very difficult. The NK Military are mentally unbalanced at the best of times.

[snapper]

In Beijing? Extremely unlikely. Better to try something of this nature when he's at home and nobody needs to know immeadiately until you have new people in places that matter. If you try this in Beijing the situation is desperate.

[Double Edge]

This board already predicted there would be 3 years before they moved against him.

[Officer of Engineers]

Whether true or not, this does show one thing. People are expecting it.

[Wayfarer]

Whether true or not, this does show one thing. People are expecting it.

Sir,

What is your prediction regarding North Korean affairs if/when such an event did take place

[S2]

Double Edge Reply

"This board already predicted there would be 3 years before they moved against him."

Specifically, whom?

[Officer of Engineers]

Sir,

What is your prediction regarding North Korean affairs if/when such an event did take place

A bloodbath.

[DOR]

Daily Mail - 3 hours ago
By Hugo Gye American officials have shot down rumours that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was assassinated.

[Double Edge]

"This board already predicted there would be 3 years before they moved against him."

Specifically, whom?

Concept

Dec 08 '10
The Chinese at the moment are satisfied that KJI could keep the refugee floodgates closed and thus are willing to tolerate him. His son? I don't think so. No one has any confidence that once KJI becomes worm food that the refugee floodgates would remain closed. The point is how to manage that flood and replacing the last Kim would be the only way to start.

Dec 23 '11
Sir,

A full scale civil war or just the sort of internal party battles that so frequently happen in dictatorships? How soon would you predict. I'm betting a few months until someone makes a move. Do you see it sooner? What role do you see China playing? Do we know if they have a faction as such - will one of the Kim brothers look to them to shore up his position? muddy water at this point.

What I know are the crops commanders get replaced extremely frequently. There has been company and battalion level mutinies in Pyongpang herself. Company, battalion, and even regimental level officers are extremely dissatsfied but are being checked by divisional and corps HQ.

The security apparatus answered to Kim Jr, even before wehn Kim Sr died. Kim baby holds no such loyalties and in fact, no such expertise. Kim Jr knew when he was being lied to. He built that organization. Kim baby will hold not such loyalties.

Despite this, China also holds some advantages, mainly, the reform faction. It would not take much for China to ship arms to the faction that she favours. She could not do it before because Kim had too many spies in his own country. Now that he is gone, Baby Kim would not hold those loyalties so dear.

From my vantage point, a coup d'etat at the very least, a full scale civil war most certain. Either way, the Kim Dynasty dies.

Thing is OOE never mentions a time frame but i'm sure i read it here somewhere.

Nov 20 '10
OOE, Do you in you opinion see the collapse of the regime within three years of Kims passing as many others speculate? Including those in China that they would indeed have to make contingincy plans for the fallout of refugees. Just wondering how many of these diplomatic cables can be taken at face value concerning other countries outside the US.

Dread seems to think so too around end 2010.

[TopHatter]

Supposing an assassination of Baby Kim by NK officers...how long before Chinese divisions sweep across the border?

[Wayfarer]

Supposing an assassination of Baby Kim by NK officers...how long before Chinese divisions sweep across the border?

Would they really? Would the death of Kim jr. really cause an exodus of refugees? What CAN they(NK army) possibly do to make the situation worse than it already is ?

[Mihais]

Break-up.