Is Kim Jong Un in Bad Health?

 Over the past week, there have been rumors surfacing around the internet and various news platforms that the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, is ailing and in bad health. Earlier this month, sources from inside North Korea reported that the leader underwent cardiovascular surgery on April 12th. However, three days after this surgery, Kim Jong Un was nowhere to be seen at an event that honored his deceased grandfather. His absence raises questions, as this event was one of the most important North Korean holidays. According to this same source, he has completely disappeared from the public eye since the surgery, which may indicate that something may have gone wrong. An unnamed United States official said the same, as a CNN report cited him saying that Kim Jong Un was in grave danger. However, the South Korean Presidential Office says otherwise. When asked questions regarding the Supreme Leader, they commented, “We confirm that Chairman Kim Jong Un is currently touring provincial areas with his close aides and we do not detect evidence to support speculation about his ill health”. In other words, they are saying that Kim Jong Un is still active and his surgery has not debilitated him. The president of the United States has also commented on the matter, and he said that he believed the sources from North Korea were incorrect. Clearly, there have been varying views on what condition Kim Jong Un may be in, and it's pretty hard to tell which ones are right and which are wrong. This is largely due to the fact that North Korea is an isolated nation-state under a dictatorship, and rarely reveals anything to the outside world. Even amid this Coronavirus pandemic, North Korea has not given much information on how it has affected their country. Earlier this month, they reported that their nation didn't have any cases of the virus, and haven't released any other information since. Since there isn't anything definitively known about his medical state, people have been jumping to conclusions on what may have happened. Some people have gone so far to infer that he may actually be dead and that the North Korean government has been trying to cover it up. If he were to be dead, his sister, Kim Yo Jong, would likely be the one to succeed him. She is one of Kim Jong Un's most trusted confidants, and her status as a sibling of Kim would allow her to become the next Supreme Leader. However, North Korea has a patriarchal line for leadership, which means that someone else could also seize power. There may be a dispute for control of the nation among the higher-ups of the North Korean government, which could create lots of conflict. This possible situation has already begun to affect the outside world, as the worth of the South Korean currency has gone down due to the possibility of their neighboring countries' leader being deceased. On the other hand, the death of Kim Jong Un could bring hope to North Korea, as the end of his regime could bring new hope to the isolated country. Use this article to answer the following questions.

In what ways do you think that transparency benefits a government? 

Why do you think there are varying opinions on what medical condition he is in? 

What do you think will happen if Kim Jong Un is dead?

Have you ever felt like you were being continually lied to?

Should states cancel school for the rest of the year?

Coronavirus has been ruining the lives of thousands for the last couple of months. It went from an irrelevant virus that caused disease in animals to a pandemic that is keeping everyone stuck in their homes. After only one month of the virus arriving to the U.S, over 123,000 public and private schools have been closed “until further notice” in order to keep everyone safe, leaving only 4 states with in-person classes still in session. According to The Washington Post, “there were a dozen states plus the Northern Marianas Islands in the Pacific that had ordered or recommended that all schools stay closed.” as of April 3rd, meaning that as long as Coronavirus continues to expand across the U.S, the amount of states that agree to canceling the remainder of the school year will grow. Governors all across the country are making quarantine a top priority. Governor Baker issued a "a stay at home advisory" meaning residents should not leave their houses unless it is necessary, and although recent surveys have shown that 74% of the United States’s registered voters either somewhat or strongly agree with social distancing, the number of confirmed cases has gone up by more than 454,000 since the beginning of March. About a week ago, a virtual conference call with area officials and a local scientist took place, where a “crucial question” surfaced. Should schools in Massachusetts stay closed for the rest of the year? The Mayor of Somerville, Joseph Curtatone, thought the answer was “very clear''. Mayor Curtatone said, “That is the most prudent and ... logical step to ensure that we don’t spike a new wave of transmission.". Slowly, governors will start making decisions on what to do with what's left of the school year, keeping the warnings scientists are giving them in mind. We can all agree that this pandemic has taken a toll on our social lives, but if you want a good summer and want to help get rid of this virus quicker, just facetime your friends and practice social distancing.

What is gained and lost by closing for the year?

How will this affect you and your family personally? 

If we do close, it means we will not have a graduation ceremony, how do you feel about that?

What do you think the Government should do in order to help lower the amount of cases the U.S is getting daily?