Death of a Nuclear Dictator?

Or the Birth of a New One?

There is definitely one thing most of us have in common, and that's the fact that we started off this year, as we do all years, saying, " Happy New Year". A new year, a new decade was upon us as the second hand's of the clocks around the world shifted from 11:59:59 PM to 12:00:00 AM.  Gym owners were laughing mischievously, retailers were anticipating rising sales charts, Jeff Bezos and his counterparts were wondering how many zeros they could add to their bank accounts, etc. etc. The start of the year is always the most exciting time but holy mackerel, 2020 took 'exciting' new level.

      

January had Australia burning, laced with the imminent threat of war. February and March saw the stock markets declining. Volcanoes have exploded, earthquakes have struck, the legendary Kobe Bryant has died (RIP to all those who lost their lives in the crash), oil has become as worthless as achieving second place in a presidential election, and throughout this period, voraciously spreading through the throng of humanity was the 2019-Novel Coronavirus, officially called COVID-19 (COVID-19 is so named as it is a Coronavirus Disease first discovered in 2019. Not because there have been 18 other COVID's which have graced humanity. Get your act together people )

Source: New Scientist

The hit's just kept on coming month after month and now April ( or 4/20 for the meme lovers among us) might have given us the most shocking thing (second only to President Trump's thought process): the potential death of a dictator, Kim Jong Un. 

A bigly-small background:

Kim Jong Un (or the Supreme Leader, a title Trump would dearly love) took over the reins of North Korea, after the death of his father (the no longer living Supreme Leader, a title Trump wouldn't love), in 2011. Since then he has maintained an iron grip over the nation with his organisation withstanding several scandals, most notably the assassination of his half-brother, trade sanctions as well as the build-up of nuclear weapons. However, much recently under the Trump administration, Kim has seemed to have taken the more "communicative-stance". Having a Joint Summit with Trump, 'destroy' his nuclear war bases, and even play a little game of hop-scotch with the South Korean President, both becoming the first leader of either side to have their shoes glorified by the 2 sides of the Korean Peninsula. 

But now, Kim's reign seems to be in limbo. An alleged failed heart surgery ( Kim should seriously consider exercising) which seems to have left the Supreme Leader ill, has become the media's new show doll. Japanese media claims he is in a 'vegetative state'. South Korea, on the other hand, is quashing all rumours and saying Kim is 'well'. The North Korean state media says that Kim has been chilling in the resort town of Wonsan, but unsurprisingly never declared why our buddy here decide to skip his grandpa's ( another ex-Supreme Leader) birthday parade. Why is that such a big deal? Because grandpa Kim was the founder of the North, a country where grandparents get taken so seriously that the entire country 'celebrates' their birthday! 

Source: Shut Up And Take My Money

With more conflicting reports than Trump's own speeches, the truth is we just don't know about Kim's health. You can bet that if there was an alleged botched surgery, the surgeon would definitely be North Korea's most wanted man, while simultaneously becoming the World's coolest doctor. Furthermore, if Kim dies, the world will never miss him, becoming grateful for the loss of a dictator who starves and tortures millions while being none too afraid to send off his fireworks hurtling in all directions. Oh and, apart from the fabulous haircut, has a hopeless sense of style. Guys usually have smaller wardrobes but man, Kim's wardrobe must be just a tiny shelf. Suit on the Shelf. 

If Kim does reach his expiry date and has to be disposed of, sorry, given a grand parade send-off (you can bet Trump wants this at his funeral) who will take his position? Will it be his sister, Kim Yo Jong (the more attractive Kim) since, in theory, she is heir to the country being part of the Kim family? Her ascent to the status of Supreme Leader will be quite a scenario, what with the North being a very male-dominated society. 

Source: Time

Or will any of Kim's generals see this an opportune moment for a power grab version of musical chairs? You can just about hear them competing for the seat of power with 'Stayin Alive' playing in the background. Or perhaps that's just Kim's heart surgeon escaping in style.

If it does go to one of his many Generals, the world will not see a marked difference in the regime. If his sister does take up leadership, joining a very small set of female dictators that have graced our world, the difference too will be slight. Both options have been groomed for years, and remain enemies with most of the rest of the world. The buck basically begins and ends with the Kim family. At the end of the day, Kim's death could lead to North Korea with the only difference being the image of a new Supreme Leader on any stamp or new currency. The death of a nuclear dictator could bring out the rise of a new one, who at the end of the day could be a Kim with different following initials.

On the other hand, if Kim doesn't die, will he come back to leadership? Or will he use this as an opportunity to declare himself dead, but instead run the government from the inside, popping out at a time when the North has achieved a greater victory and being like " Aha, that was me! That was me! I never died! I never ever died! I won! You lose!". If Kim does return from being a sleeping vegetable to a standing vegetable as a leader, he would use it to tell his people how he has great healing powers to further emphasize his godly status and divine bloodline.

Source: YouTube

Weird-flex but okay.