North Korean leader is in grave danger after surgery- US intelligence monitoring

As global speculation about the state of Kim Jong Un’s health mounts, an otherwise-banal aspect of Pyongyang’s day-to-day propaganda output has taken on a much greater significance: the letters the DPRK leader is reported to have sent to various foreign friends and praiseworthy citizens.

In the 16 days since Kim Jong Un has been reported to have appeared in public, ruling party organ the Rodong Sinmun has carried nine reports of the leader sending personal notes.

Most of these are mundane formalities, from Monday’s letter praising the workers of the newly-build “utopia” town in Samjiyon to a personal “birthday spread” sent to a centenarian.

Others are letters of greeting to comrades overseas — Kim has reportedly sent notes to the Presidents of Cuba and Zimbabwe while out of the public eye, as well as two to Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad.

But for reporters and analysts desperate for any sign of life from the North Korean leader — variously believed to have died, in a coma, or taking a breather at a seaside resort — Kim’s letter-writing has taken on much greater significance.

however, North Korea watchers were divided on whether Kim Jong Un’s signature is required for such notes and, if it is, how much can be read into the leader’s letter writing.