SEOUL - Defectors from North Korea say many of their relatives and contacts were unaware of the international speculation over leader Kim Jong Un's health or were unwilling to discuss the issue in clandestine calls made from the South.
Another defector said some people in the North have nevertheless been privately talking of Kim's whereabouts after he failed to appear at a key state holiday on April 15, but only in very closed circles. The South Korean minister in charge of North Korean affairs said on Tuesday fear of catching the coronavirus could have kept Kim away from the April 15 state ceremonies.
"Not even the people in the central party," she said."They are so scared that they don’t even think of looking into it or think about it, to begin with, as they fear they might get arrested."