Who made the video? North Korea investigating leaked clip claiming Kim Jong Un's death

  • As per a report, the unknown and suspicious video looks like it was broadcasted by the Korean Central Television (KCTV)

  • Investigation have started to identify the person who made the video and then leaked it

  • The video claiming Kim Jong Un is dead is now spreading fast in North Korea

A five-minute-long video featuring North Korea's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which is the memorial of the country's founding father Korea Kim Il-sung has got circulated in the area of North Korea bordering China. Since the nation is known as the most secretive country in the world, the authorities are now trying to find out how the video got leaked. The investigation is already under the process.

As per a report in Daily NK, a South Korea-based news organization, a North Pyongan Province-based source said the video in the question looks like was broadcasted by the Korean Central Television (KCTV) and the footage has circulated in the area of North Korea bordering China. The source also revealed that the leaked video suggests, "Kim suddenly died during on-the-spot guidance [on-the-spot inspections]" on Saturday, April 25 at around at 12:30 AM.

Another report also said the North Korean military is deploying GPS jamming devices along its borders, amidst reports of a massive structure being set up that is speculated to be part of the funeral preparations for supreme leader Kim Jong Un, which triggers enough fuel to speculate that the video may not be fake.

The suspicious video on Kim Jong Un

Ri Sol-ju
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) and wife Ri Sol Ju (L) enjoy a joint performance given by the State Merited Chorus and the Moranbong Band celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on October 19, 2015. Reuters

Daily NK also mentioned that the video captioned as "Our Beloved Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un passed away during on-the-spot guidance" -- shows the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the background.

The suspicious video also revealed that Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong, the first deputy director of the North Korean communist party's Propaganda and Agitation Department, would be the next leader of the country. It included footage from a past ceremony commemorating former leader Kim Jong-il's death, as well as an image of an unknown article from the "The People's Korea," which is a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan.

Investigation of the leaked video

Even though the authenticity of the video is not confirmed, as per the news outlet, the video is spreading quickly in North Korea. After authorities came to know about the video, the authorities reportedly started their investigation to identify who leaked the video as they believe it could cause a social issue. The source told Daily NK that "the Ministry of State Security and local police offices are keeping a close eye on those making international calls and text messages."

Another unnamed source stated, "This video bewildered both ordinary citizens as well as party members and other officials when they first saw it," adding that "After it was flagged as a serious issue, however, nobody has been able to openly discuss the video."

The source also revealed that the North Korean authorities have created a special unit from the Organization and Guidance Department, the Public Prosecutors' Office, the MSS and other law enforcement agencies, to identify the person behind the video leak. He mentioned that as the officials already started the investigation, "anyone who's been making calls to China for business reasons has been lying low."

Meanwhile, Daily NK reported that the North Korean military's electronic warfare division and the Electronic Reconnaissance Bureau 121 (Cyber Warfare Agency) under the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), which is responsible for jamming operations against South Korea, is overseeing the process.

This article was first published on April 30, 2020
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