The End of the Monster?

Courtesy of Nicholson Cartoons

Kim Jong-il, the Dear Mass-Murderer of North Korea, has not been seen in public since August 14th. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea has reported that the Dear Murderer-Freak has heart disease and diabetes. The speculation is that he is so ill that he cannot walk 30 yards.

Fears Grow For 'Sick' Kim Jong Il

The 66-year-old has not been seen in public for three weeks and newspaper reports suggest his health may be getting worse.

Foreign doctors have now been in the communist country for more than a week, according to a mass-circulation newspaper.

Kim was last seen out in public on August 14, when he inspected a military unit.

There are rumors and speculation that he is dead, and has been since 2003. While that may sound crazy, in a place like North Korea it is not inconceivable. No major policy decisions have been made since they joined the nuclear disarmament talks then. Just after that Kim disappeared for 42 days. People who have presumably met with him since then report a dramatic change in his appearance. Were they meeting with a double?

North Korea ‘uses doubles to hide death of Kim’ (Matt Drudge has this one too).

Is Kim Jong-il for real? The question has baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years but now a veteran Japanese expert on North Korea says the “dear leader” is actually dead – and his role is played by a double.

The expert says Kim died of diabetes in 2003 and world leaders including Vladimir Putin of Russia and Hu Jintao of China have been negotiating with an impostor.

He believes that Kim, fearing assassination, had groomed up to four lookalikes to act as substitutes at public events. One underwent plastic surgery to make his appearance more convincing. Now, the expert claims, the actors are brought on stage whenever required to persuade the masses that Kim is alive.

Certainly a bizarre idea, but possible.