China Sends Medical Personnel To North Korea In The Middle Of Kim Jong Un's Health Conflict

Kim Jong Un (Twitter / @ hokkaidosechol)

JAKARTA - China has sent a team of medical experts to North Korea to check the health of President Kim Jong Un. The doctors' departure was carried out amid a confusing news about the collapsing health condition of the president of the communist country.

However, the departure of Chinese medics to North Korea is still unclear for what purpose. As reported by The Guardian, a medical entourage led by a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party's Department of International Relations left Beijing for Pyongyang on Thursday, April 23.

The department is China's special agency that manages bilateral relations with North Korea. Meanwhile, the source who provided this information refused to have his identity published because the matter was considered sensitive.

Meanwhile, according to the North Korean news website, Daily NK, earlier this week Kim had recovered after undergoing a cardiovascular treatment procedure on April 12. Two countries that appear to be close to North Korea, China and South Korea, challenge the truth of the information that Kim is in danger after the operation.

South Korean officials, for example, said they found no signs of activity that was different from normal in North Korea. On Friday, it was still from the South Korean side who told Reuters their intelligence believed Kim was alive and in the near future likely to show up.

In addition, US President Donald Trump, who previously agreed to the news, has now refused. "I don't think the report is true," Trump said. But Trump himself did not say whether he had contacted North Korean officials or not.

North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world and the health of its leaders is considered a security issue. Since this confusing news circulated, the official North Korean government media has not made any news. The last time the media reported Kim's whereabouts was chairing the meeting on April 11.

What made many people speculate was when state media did not report that Kim was present at an event to commemorate his grandfather Kim Il Sung's birthday on April 15. Because the commemoration is an important moment in North Korea.

This is not the first time this has happened. In 2014 he had been missing from the "radar" for more than a month. After that, Korean Government TV broadcasted Kim, and he was seen limping.

Speculation about Kim's health has been fueled by his heavy smoking habit. In addition, Kim has also reportedly gained weight since coming to power and he is also rumored to have a history of cardiovascular problems.