Why did we miss Kim Jong-un?

For weeks there was frenzied speculation about the whereabouts of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Just imagine, even during the Cornoavirus predicament, the world hasn't forgotten the man who is possibly the last major thorn which continues to irk the West in all possible ways.

There are of course other countries that do not care much as to what the West thinks about them but North Korea is unique because not only does the country defy the rest of the world, it continues to be an enduring mystery. To be honest, we wouldn't like it any other way because in a world where everything is so banal and monotonous, North Korea continues to test our powers of imagination.

The absence of Kim Jong and the concern plus curiosity all around is a proof that we need a maverick in global affairs. While many leaders make news by talking too much, Kim makes the headlines by remaining taciturn. When he speaks a few words that becomes news and if it's in English by any chance, everyone wants to know what he said. 
The mystique of the man is actually a metaphor for a country which has remained behind scrutiny for decades.
The world misses rattling of sabres:

In a normal world without Cornoa there would be the North Korean leader doing something to upset the West, especially the USA. Later, that act would be the topic of intense assessment plus analysis. When Kim wasn't seen for sometime and missed a special programme, the international media machine went into overdrive: has he become a victim of Corona? Did he suffer a heart attack?

Interestingly, none of the media speculation actually touched on the possibility that he may just be taking some time off with the Corona taking precedence over everything. Or he may have taken a family holiday with his reported three children of whom we know very little.

There is again the element of suspense here. Information about Kim and his family is so sparse that no one is certain if he has children or not. The presence of an attractive wife not too long ago only added to the spice/piquancy of the rumour mill. Was it a love marriage or did Kim just see someone and demanded that she become his wife.

In reality, Kim may just be like any other guy who wooed his wife and then got married but then, if we know that as a fact the thrill of being kept in semi darkness will be lost. Just as Voltaire, the French philosopher, once said: "to be a bore is to reveal everything."

But as soon as Kim re-appeared there were reportedly shots fired at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. I am compelled to think that this is just a reminder to the world that everything is as it is between the two countries and Corona has not dampened the North's belligerence in any way.

To be honest, Kim's appearance plus the shooting strangely reassures that the world may just be going back to normal again.

We crave 'normalcy' plus the North Korean intrigue:
Would we want a North Korea which opens up after decades of seclusion and begins to act like other nations? Well, the countless sanction imposed on the country are aimed to break the regime but honestly speaking, a country which has given us so much tension and made international affairs so enthralling to follow, is better off staying the way it is.
People may denounce the North Korean authoritarian model, though in reality, it's one of the countries which still provides the regular dose of global anxiety. Admit it, without the dose of tension mixed thrill, the world would be monotonous. As for Kim's reappearance, there are some conspiracy theories which allude to the latest image, stating that the man, looking to have gained more weight, is actually a double and not the real one.

There you go, excitement topped with speculation even when someone has come back after a brief disappearance. I bet Kim is enjoying the fact that there was so much discussion about him when he was away. This shows that the world misses the man who has been denounced countless times by the West in no uncertain terms.

At this moment, with everyone craving to go back to normal lives, the debate about the North Korean leader gave us a much needed distraction from the COVID 19 quagmire. Also, the statement from North Korea that no Coronavirus case has been detected in the country is also something which is undergoing plenty of dissection.

Common sense states that since the reclusive country's main trading partner is China there may be cases which were carefully hushed up. But then, we do not know for certainty since the country is closed to world inspection. Everything said and done, the image of Kim without a mask is another act of bravado by North Korea telling the world that their leader is beyond the grasp of the virus.

In global politics, the charade of flamboyance, invincibility and panache is an essential ingredient; in that game, Kim seems to have won a hand. As Hemingway once said: Man will be destroyed but not defeated.

Towheed Feroze is a journalist and teaches at the University of Dhaka