North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been at the center of conflicting reports in the past week. He has not been seen in the past week which is especially peculiar since he was absent from celebrating North Korea's most important holiday on April 15th, the Day of the Sun, which honors his grandfather. Speculation that he had fallen gravely ill began circulating but the leader of South Korea refuted those rumors.
As North Korea remains quiet about the rumors, fueling them even further, new reports claim that Kim Jong Un might actually be dead, according to Hong Kong-backed media outlet's vice director, who is also the niece of a Chinese foreign minister. It should be noted this arrives after China sent a medical team to check in on Kim following the rumors of his disappearance. The claims initially emerged on Weibo, a popular social media app, claiming a "very solid source" has passed, International Business Times reports.
Meanwhile, a Japanese media outlet has reported that the North Korean leader is in a "vegetative state" after undergoing heart surgery. TMZ reports that he needed a stent procedure done after an incident in early April. They said that his surgery either wasn't done in a timely enough fashion or the surgeon's hands were shaky.
We'll keep you updated with any confirmations on these reports.