There was an enormous uproar internationally and domestically as the rumor of the death of Kim Jong Il spread rapidly through the Internet, meanwhile North Korean state media continued to report the outside activities of Kim Jong Il.
After an Internet newspaper released a news article, “Kim Jong Il attacked and died in vicinity of Pyongyang,” on the 28th, the rumor spread widely. Chosun (North Korea) Central News Agency reported on the 29th that Kim Jong Il visited the education and science exhibition building and the laboratory of the Hamheung College of Medicine.
The agency also reported that Kim Jong Il made an onsite inspection at the February 8 Vinylon Complex in Hamheung, a representative textile mill of North Korea.
On the 26th when the initiatial rumor of his death spread, the agency reported that Kim Jong Il had visited the 1727 Military Academy and the battalion of the 836 Corps and had watched a performance of the Art propaganda squad of the 604 Corps.
However, experts on North Korea believe that the report of Kim Jong Il’s recent trip to Hamheung is ambiguous. The date of Kim Jong Il’s onsite inspection was not reported in North Korean propaganda media because the whereabouts of Kim Jong Il at any given moment is kept top secret.
The experts explained that the latest activity of Kim Jong Il was what he did a few days ago because North Korean media does not release his activities on the same day, as a personal security measure.
It is noteworthy that Kim Jong Il carried out outside activities, including onsite inspections, around 18 times during May. In January, he did it 8 times, in February one, and in March he did just underground activities.
Most of Kim Jong Il’s outside activities are military onsite inspections. He has already participated in military related events 11 times in this year, economy related activities 5 times, and others activities twice this year. Some experts have interpreted Kim’s concentration on military related activities as a means to try to strengthen the control of the military while in the midst of deep tensions in South-North relations and the food crisis.
Although the South Korean authorities denied officially the rumor, the rumor reached Moscow. In Japan, stock prices skyrocketed on the day.
