When North Korea’s head of state, ‘Dear Leader’ Kim Jong Il, did not show up for the 60th anniversary ceremony of the country on Tuesday, there were speculations that he had serious health problems. But if Japanese professor Toshimitsu Shigemura from Waseda University is to be believed, Kim is already dead. Outrageous as this seems, it is hard to come by any credible information about the reclusive leader of a notoriously secretive country. A look at some of the speculations about him that have been doing the rounds.

HE ISN’T ALIVE

In his recently published book, The True Character Of Kim Jong Il, professor Shigemura, an expert on North Korea, claims that the dictator succumbed to diabetes in 2003 and that up to four ‘doubles’ stand in for him. Some even attended meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Hu Jintao. According to him, Kim was actually dead when he ‘disappeared’ for about 42 days in 2003, but that he had trained his look-alikes well before his ‘demise’ since he was afraid of being assassinated during a public appearance.

HE IS SEVERELY ILL

On Tuesday, South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported that Kim fell seriously ill and collapsed on August 22. On Wednesday, fresh reports emerged of his collapse, possibly due to a stroke, but North Korean diplomats rubbished these claims, attributing them to a “conspiracy plot”. The media has been paying close attention to reports about Kim’s health. If he is indeed seriously ill, there are fears his absence could interfere with international efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programme.

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