North and South Korea: Countries in Talks but Kim Jong-un Remains Mysteriously Absent
While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for over a month, causing rumors to swirl about his health, the spotlight has moved to the discussions between the two Koreas.
The past 12 months were tense between the two neighboring countries, including a steady stream of insults and an unusual increase in North Korean missile and rocket tests, the Independent reported.
But some see a window of opportunity for the leaders of both countries.
John Delury, an Asia specialist at Seoul's Yonsei University said, "Historically, North-South breakthroughs start from the top down, and if Park is serious that she wants to improve relations and jumpstart the reunification process, this is a golden opportunity."
The North has agreed to resume talks in November, which were stalled since February and will be more than a year after an alleged civil war began in North Korea.
The civil war is said to have been more of a coup with opportunists seeking to profit from foreign trade and open markets in a clash with the rule of Kim Jong-un.
The Independent reported that a defactor and former propagandist for Kim Jong-il, Jang Jin-sung, told CNN, "The power holders in North Korea are the OGD. They are calling the shots and not the words of one man they do not know. Basically, they are no longer loyal to the ruling king's word."
The OGD, Organisation and Guidance Department, is a secretive group that used to report to Kim Jong-il.
When Kim Jong-un executed his own uncle, by marriage, it sparked the alleged civil war, which has brought the OGD power and reduced the effect of Kim Jong-un.
But his mysterious disappearance amid the peace talks with South Korea forced the country to defend his absence.
The Telegraph reported that nothing is wrong with Kim Jong-un, according to senior North Korean officials.
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