Fears Kim Jong-un died of brain haemorrhage as state-owned news site shuts

 There are fears North Korea is about tell the world Kim Jong-un is dead. The 42-year-old despot is rumoured to have fallen into a coma after suffering a brain haemorrhage at the weekend.

While the death has not been confirmed, the secretive nation's English language news site Pyongyang Times mysteriously shut down, sparking speculation a major announcement is imminent. The publication, which is controlled by the autocratic nation, appeared to be down when the Daily Star tried to access it.

And a third party which checks website activity confirmed the Pyongyang Times's servers were not responding. North Korea and the surrounding region will be plunged into chaos if Kim Jong-un is dead.

Rumours of the dictator's death started when a Chinese politician said medics had been “dispatched” to treat Jong-un. Wanjun Xie, Chairman of China Democracy Party (CDP), wrote: "It is rumored that recently, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Supreme Leader of North Korea, suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma.

"Although a team of medical experts from Peking Union Medical College Hospital was dispatched to North Korea to assist in his treatment, the poor medical conditions in North Korea forced Kim Jong-un to be transferred to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for emergency treatment.

“However, due to the severity of his condition and the fact that the optimal window for treatment had passed, Kim Jong-un succumbed to his injuries and died. His body has been secretly transported back to North Korea, and the news of his death is being kept under wraps.”

He later added: “Rumours circulate that Kim Jong-un has died, thwarting Kim Ju-ae's succession plans and potentially plunging North Korea into civil war. The Chinese Communist Party has reportedly dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang to assist Kim Ju-ae in stabilising her regime.

“In preparation for a potential civil war in North Korea, the Northern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army has entered a state of high alert (Level III), and all troops within the theatre command have been ordered to...Leave, family visits, and demobilisation/retirement are suspended; personnel who have left the area are recalled; and strict control over personnel entry and exit is enforced!”