If reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's health is in grave condition are true, the U.S. government has a plan for when he dies, Fox News reports.
Conflicting reports about the leader’s health have emerged and sent leaders to discuss "extensive contingency plans" the government has in place, an intelligence source told the news network on Tuesday.
The official said there will likely be a humanitarian crisis that could include millions of people facing starvation and a mass exodus of North Korean refugees into China.
The source said the government's plan involves heavy reliance on China to step in and manage the situation.
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the administration is “watching reports closely.”
“We are monitoring these reports very closely and as you know North Korea is a very closed society, there is not a free press there, they are parsimonious with the information they provide on many things, including the health of Kim Jong Un,” O’Brien said. “People should know we have a great intelligence community, the president, vice president, Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Esper, General Milley, we’ve got a lot of watchtowers during this coronavirus crisis making sure America is safe, whether it’s from a virus or adversary abroad, so we are keeping a close eye on North Korea as we are in other parts of the world.”
Reports about Kim’s health have been circulating since he was absent from North Korea’s most important holiday, the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung on April 15.
South Korean online news site Daily NK, which is run mostly by North Korean defectors, reported that Kim, 36, was recovering from heart surgery at a resort county villa on the east coast. The report said Kim has been in bad health because he smokes and is overweight.
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