Is Kim Jong Il for real? The question has baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years, but 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 imposter.
He believes that Kim, fearing assassination, had groomed up to four look-alikes 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.
The author has been derided by rival analysts of the hermetic communist state. Yet so few facts are known about North Korea’s ruling dynasty that some of the strange things reported in Professor Toshimitsu Shigemura’s bestselling book cannot be readily explained.
“Scholars don’t trust my reasoning but intelligence people see the possibility that it will turn out to be accurate,” he said. “I have identified and pinned down every source.”
The book, "The True Character of Kim Jong-il," cites sources from inside North Korea and from the intelligence services of Japan and South Korea.
2001 picture
2006 picture
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I put this in conspiracies, because obviously it's speculation and nothing has been proven. It's pretty interesting, though I think from looking at the pictures it's the true Kim Jong Il. Any thoughts? I know they say the fake one had plastic surgery, but everything including moles looks to be the same, and I don't think plastic surgeons are that freakin' good. Besides, fake or not, it's still an oppressed society no matter who's sitting there in the leader's chair.
