Rumors are flying on the Korean peninsula

[East Coast Hustle]

Kim Jong Un assassinated, presumably in a coup d'etat backed by the generals?

Anybody got any hard intel on this?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Dude, links, please.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Found this: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/us-officials-say-kim-jong-un-assassination-rumors-untrue/

[Cain]

Yeah, I heard the rumours too. Spread on Twitter, apparently, with most people expressing scepticism.

There have been more than normal rumours about a possible resistance in North Korea though.  Not necessarily armed, though I know if I were in a North Korean resistance group, I'd want as many weapons as possible.

[Cain]

OK, what we do know: lots of police were seen outside the DPRK Embassy in Beijing on Friday morning.

Users of the local Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Sina Weibo, were the first to pick it up, and spread from there onto actual Twitter and so to the world at large.

Some have speculated the police were extra security for Kim Jong Il's birthday, despite the old man being dead (still, his father remains President for Life of North Korea, so this is not unusual).

[Rumckle]

If Kim Jong Un is alive, wouldn't it be best for him to announce this fact, to ensure that no parties start some kind of action in an attempt to compete for a bit of potential power?

[Cain]

That assumes North Korean authorities are even aware of the rumour.

I very much doubt many North Koreans even know what a social network is, let alone how it is facilitating the spread of this rumour.  Official channels, namely the Chinese government, are also going to only bring it up very sensitively and reluctantly, because if it is not true, it could start a similar rumour within North Korean ranks, which would not be good.

Equally, it could be that Kim Jong-Un is waiting to see who will react, and do something to tip their hand.  Finding out who your enemies are is quite a good idea, and by increasing uncertainty about his fate, he may cause some of them to act before they really should and expose themselves.

[Rumckle]

That assumes North Korean authorities are even aware of the rumour.

I very much doubt many North Koreans even know what a social network is, let alone how it is facilitating the spread of this rumour.  Official channels, namely the Chinese government, are also going to only bring it up very sensitively and reluctantly, because if it is not true, it could start a similar rumour within North Korean ranks, which would not be good.

Hmm, I thought that since news websites reported it they would have at least some idea. But you make a fair point that the entire idea of a rumour spreading via social networks would be alien to many North Koreans.

[Cramulus]

Users of the local Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Sina Weibo

lol sorry

[Wolfgang Absolutus]

Kim-jong un can stop bullets with his massive erection. No one could assassinate the great leader.