Satellite imagery finds likely Kim train amid health rumours
Seoul: A train likely belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been parked at his compound on the country's east coast since last week, satellite imagery showed, amid speculation about his health that has been caused, in part, by a long period out of the public eye.
The satellite photos released by 38 North, a website specialising in North Korea studies, don't say anything about Kim's potential health problems, and they echo South Korean government intelligence that Kim is staying outside of the capital, Pyongyang.
Seoul has also repeatedly indicated that there have been no unusual signs that could indicate health problems for Kim.
That hasn't stopped growing unconfirmed rumours and media reports about Kim's health that have emerged since he missed an April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung.
Kim Jong Un is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, and he hadn't missed the April 15 event, one of the year's most important for the North, since assuming power after his father Kim Jong Il's death in late 2011.
Kim's health is of crucial importance because of worries that the serious illness or death of a leader venerated with near godlike passion by millions of North Koreans could cause instability in the impoverished, nuclear-armed country.
Many experts in South Korea downplayed speculation that Kim is seriously ill.
They also said North Korea won't likely face a serious immediate turmoil even if Kim is incapacitated or dies because someone else like his influential sister Kim Yoo Jong will quickly step in, though the prospect for the North's long-term political future would be unclear.
Kim Jong Un's train has been parked at the Leadership Railway Station servicing his Wonsan compound since at least April 21, the website 38 North said on Saturday, citing an analysis of recent satellite photos of the area.
The website said the approximately 250-metre (820-foot) -long train wasn't present on April 15 but was present on both April 21 and 23.
The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast, it said.
The photos indicate the train arrived before April 21 and was still present on April 23, when it appeared to be repositioned for departure. However, there was no indication when that departure might take place, 38 North said.
North Korea exerts extremely tight control on information about its leadership, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to find out what's going on at those senior levels.
Even South Korea's main spy agency has a mixed record on confirming developments in North Korea.
When Kim Jong Il died in December 2011, for instance, few outsiders knew it until it was reported by North Korea's state media two days later.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to talk to the media, said the latest rumours about Kim's health had not changed the US assessment of the information as "speculation".
Danny Russel, a former National Security Council director and assistant secretary of state for Asia who has dealt with North Korea in the past, cautioned that rumors have abounded for years about Kim, his father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and most turned out to have been false.
While serving in government I was on the receiving end of multiple intelligence reports about alleged accidents, illnesses and assassination attempts against North Korean leaders only to have them reappear in public," he said.
South Korea's presidential office said last week that Kim appeared to be handling state affairs normally and that there had been no suspicious activities, such as an emergency readiness order issued by the North's military or the ruling Workers' Party.
The South Korean government has since maintained its assessment that Kim's health remains the same. Some South Korean media outlets, citing unidentified government officials, have reported that Kim was staying at Wonsan.
North Korea's state media still remain silent about the outside speculation on Kim's health.
On Saturday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim had received a message of greeting from the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation on the occasion of the first anniversary of Kim's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The message wished Kim good health and happiness, KCNA said.
It's not the first time that Kim has vanished from the public eye, and past absences in state media dispatches have also triggered speculation about his health.
In 2014, state media didn't report any public activities for Kim for about six weeks, before he reappeared with a cane. South Korea's spy agency said later that he had a cyst removed from his ankle.
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Nepal records 18% turnout till noon in first election since govt-toppling Gen Z protests
Kathmandu (PTI): Nepal which went to polls on Thursday, the first since a violent Gen Z protest that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year, recorded a turnout of about 18 per cent till noon, according to the Election Commission.
The Election Commission said that around 3.16 million people have exercised their franchise till 12 pm, with the voting process going smoothly.
Voting is ongoing smoothly across the country with minor incidents in a very few places, Election Commissioner Sagun Shumsher Rana was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.
More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese are exercising their franchise to elect the 275-member House of Representatives from among the 3,406 candidates vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates vying for 110 seats through proportionate voting.
The voting started at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. The counting will start immediately after the ballot boxes are collected.
Nepal Police confirmed that apart from minor disagreements at a few locations, no serious problems had occurred.
Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said, “Some jostling is expected during elections, but no major issues have arisen. We are ensuring that the voting process remains peaceful throughout the day.”
"Voting started in all the constituencies, including the southern plains, hilly area and the mountain region at 7 am," Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said.
“The election started in a peaceful environment across the country,” he added.
ALSO READ: Nepal records over 10% turnout till 11 am in first election since govt-toppling Gen Z protests
Addressing a press meet here on the eve of the polls, Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari on Wednesday had said that all preparations for the election had been completed and urged voters to participate actively and enthusiastically in the democratic exercise.
In Kathmandu, the weather was fine, sky was clear and people were enthusiastically queuing up to cast their votes.
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki cast her vote from Kathmandu-5 constituency at Dhapasi on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Thursday morning.
"I have cast my vote, I am happy that people are casting their votes, participating in the general election," she said.
Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa cast his vote from Kathmandu-4 constituency in Maitidevi in the morning.
"This election was needed to bring the Constitution back on the right track," he said.
Thapa, the prime ministerial candidate of Nepali Congress, is contesting the election from Dhanusha-4 constituency.
Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) president Ravi Lamichhane cast his vote from Chuchepati area on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
Prime ministerial candidate of RSP and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ cast his vote from Gairegaun, Kathmandu. He is contesting the election from Jhapa-5.
Ousted premier Oli cast his vote from Balkot in Bhaktapur district.
The Gen Z youth, through their two-day intensified protests on September 8 and 9, ousted Prime Minister Oli, chair of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) -- CPN-UML -- who was heading a coalition government with the backing of Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support.
The CPN-UML, led by ousted PM Oli, has emerged as the hardliner force. Though former premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'-led NCP claims to have addressed the issues raised by the Gen Z, they have not handed over the party leadership to the younger generation.
Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP), led by its chair Ravi Lamichhane and senior leader Balendra Shah, and the reformed Nepali Congress, led by Gagan Thapa, are voicing the issues raised by the Gen Z, while CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party, led by ‘Prachanda’, are known as the traditional forces.
Ujyalo Nepal Party, led by Kulman Ghising, and Shram Shakti Party, led by former Dharan Mayor Harka Sampang, are also emerging forces but enjoy support in limited pockets only.
After Oli's ouster, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as the caretaker PM.
The major issues raised by Gen Z are anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, generational change in political leadership, etc.
Starting Wednesday, Nepal has declared a three-day holiday for the polls.
There are a total of 10,967 polling booths and 23,112 polling centres, the Election Commission data showed. As many as 65 political parties are taking part in the election.
