Could this be the beginning of the end for the Traffic Women? I hear that they were created by Jong-Il himself, and many were hand picked for duty by him.

From http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=777913

The Daily Telegraph
Published: Monday, September 08, 2008



North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has been out of the public eye recently and one expert on the country says he has a very good reason -- he died five years ago.

And, says Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Japan's Waseda University, his place has been taken by several stand-ins controlled by four high-ranking "puppet-masters."

Kim, a former smoker and heavy drinker, died in 2003 from diabetes, said Prof. Shigemura in a new book The True Character of Kim Jong Il.

Prof. Shigemura's theory received wide publicity yesterday while other reports were circulating that the North Korean leader was believed to be very ill.

Kim's last outing was on Aug. 14, when he reportedly inspected a military unit in North Korea.

A little-known Seoul economics daily, Asia Economy, cited an unnamed government source as saying that five Chinese doctors had been in the communist state for more than a week -- possibly to treat Kim.

But a spokesman for South Korea's National Intelligence Service told Agence-France Presse that the agency had no information to indicate Kim's health had declined.

Today, the North is expected to mobilize its largest-ever number of troops and military hardware to celebrate the country's 60th anniversary.

It is not known whether Kim will appear, but he usually carries out the military inspections. A failure to put in an appearance would increase speculation about his health.

According to Prof. Shigemura, Kim died in the autumn of 2003 when he "disappeared" from the political scene for 42 days.

Kim, fearing assassination, had already groomed four stand-ins to take his place. After his death, according to the book, four senior officials decided to make the stand-ins more permanent.

The Daily Telegraph reported that according to the professor at least one of the officials is with the stand-in to act as a puppet-master when he is on official business.

Some reports said the imposters had meetings with Russia's Vladimir Putin of Russia and Hu Jintao of China.

"Scholars don't trust my reasoning, but intelligence people see the possibility that it will turn out to be accurate," Fox News reported Prof. Shigemura as saying.

"I have identified and pinned down every source."

Kim strongly denied having heart disease or diabetes at an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last October, denouncing media reports about his health as fiction.

A spokesman for Chong­ryun, the association of North Korean residents of Japan that effectively acts as Pyongyang's embassy in Tokyo, denied that Kim was dead.

"This is absolutely a lie," said Tae-shik Jon. "We do not want to even comment on such a stupid claim."

North Koreans are not allowed to speak about Kim's health in public.

AUDIO LINK: Audio: Expert claims North Korea's leader is dead (The World Today)

Dead. The most freightening thing is that there may be several more men in the world that look like him.

The Next North Korean Leader --- Dear Concubine???


Kim's consort: a key player in North Korea?

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Kim Jong Il's companion and former secretary is emerging as a key player in the communist nation after the autocratic leader's stroke.

South Korean officials are keeping a close eye on Kim Ok amid some intelligence reports that she's not only nursing the ailing leader but also is signing official documents on his behalf.

Experts believe the communist leader is retaining a firm grip on power, running the nation from his bed with the help of military and communist party chiefs in line with the nation's "songun," or military first, policy. But they are not discounting the role of the woman who is seen by some as the de-facto first lady.

"She is the closest person personally to Kim Jong Il," said Marcus Noland, a North Korea expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "In some ways, she's the one guarding the bedroom or hospital door. She would be in a position to convey his preferences."

Kim, 66, reportedly suffered a stroke last month and is recuperating following emergency brain surgery - though North Korean officials deny the communist leader, who was last seen in public more than a month ago, is ill.

-----

And Kim Ok may be poised to fill any void. Experts speculate the North Korean leader's dependence on her during his illness may further bolster her political clout.

"If Kim Jong Il can't communicate with others, her role will be larger," said Kang Jung-mo, a North Korea expert at Kyung Hee University.

Little is known about her. Kim Jong Il is believed to have had three wives before taking Kim Ok as his consort several years ago. She reportedly accompanied the leader on his secret visit to China in 2006.

She is said to be a pianist in her 40s who has served as the leader's secretary since the 1980s. Furthering the intrigue, Kim's late wife, Ko Yong Hi, - mother of his two younger sons - hand-picked Kim Ok to replace her when she was dying of cancer, according to South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper.

South Korean officials refuse to divulge their intelligence-gathering techniques but are known to rely heavily on so-called "human intelligence" - information gleaned from defectors, visiting dignitaries, aid workers, tourists and others able to get into the world's most-isolated nation. Such information can be fragmentary and difficult to verify, experts say.

One South Korean intelligence officer said agents are keeping a close eye on traffic about Kim Ok, including indications she is signing some official documents on his behalf. He spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with department policy.

He said top military officers are likely carrying out key functions - but that Kim Ok probably wields more power than any particular individual.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_NKOREA_KIMS_CONSORT?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

My only concern with all this is how it will affect the Traffic Women. My big worry is that if this Concubine becomes Leader, she could replace them all with Traffic Men. Uggg.

But if their Dear Leader had specified that the concubine was to take over for him, how could they go against his wishes? He is God to them.

They refuse to admit he's dead ..............

North Korea resumes "normal" service with Kim reports
Wed Nov 5, 2008 11:31pm EST
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is resuming "normal" service with its reports about leader Kim Jong-il after he was absent from public view for about 80 days, a South Korean official said, as it tries to end speculation about Kim's health.

North Korea's state KCNA news agency said Kim attended a concert by an ensemble of art troupe, state choir and opera groups singing colorful numbers such as "May the Motherland Prosper" and "Please Receive Our Salute."

"The current situation is the normal one," South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said on Thursday about the reports about Kim's activities. "When there weren't any for about 80 days, that's when it was abnormal."

No pictures were released of the undated concert but a number of photographs were released with reports on Wednesday that Kim inspected two military units as the country stepped up a campaign to show that Kim was in good health and fully in charge.

KCNA said Kim was accompanied at the concern by some of the very top officials from the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and the military in an apparent attempt to show he was firmly in control.

"At the end of the performance he waved back to the cheering performers and audience and congratulated them on their successful presentation," KCNA said.

At the weekend, the North released photographs that it said showed Kim watching a soccer match.

Last month, it said he was out in public twice, once to see a separate soccer game and to inspect a military unit, but some of the undated pictures released for those outings raised more questions about his health than they answered.

Reports about Kim's public activities dried up from August 14 to Oct 4. He also failed to show up at a military parade marking a key anniversary on September 9 fuelling speculation that he was gravely ill.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4A510W20081106?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

I know ..... they've been creeping their way in, slowly so as not to draw attention to it. It's really not a good sign. I think that if Jong-Il was in any condition to be aware of it, he would put an end to it post-haste. I have always been under the impression that the Trafficgirls were his idea and that he was proud of the image they projected to the world of his DPRK.
Let's hope he's not dead and comes out of his coma or whatever and puts a stop to this nonsense before it's too late.