Kim Jong Un has returned to public view, according to media reports. North Korea’s leader attended a ceremony to complete a fertilizer factory in Pyongan province, North Korea’s state media reported on Saturday, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. There was no independent confirmation of the reports from North Korea.
In the three weeks before, Kim had not been seen. North Korean media last reported on his whereabouts on April 11, when Kim Jong Un was in charge of a meeting. After Kim did not attend the celebrations marking the birthday of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, on April 15, speculation about his health.
Kim Jong Un had undergone heart surgery, South Korean news site DailyNK reported. His health was critical, CNN reported. Kim is overweight and is said to be a heavy smoker.
The Reuters news agency now reports on information that China had sent a delegation of government officials and medics to the neighboring country. The People’s Republic has not commented on questions about the whereabouts or health of North Korea’s leader.
Asked in Washington on Friday, US President Donald Trump, responding to the latest reports, said: “I would rather not comment on this yet.” It will be commented on in due course.
Renowned observers believe it is a plausible theory that Kim Jong Un had health problems or that he had left because of the coronavirus. Most recently, satellite images had provided indications that he might be in the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan. There, movements of several luxury boats used by Kim Jong Un in the past were observed.
A few days ago, the US news portal 38 North, which specialises in North Korea, also reported that the Kim family’s personal train was in a station intended for visits by the ruling family to their villa there. The location of the train had also become known through satellite images and had provided an initial indication of its possible whereabouts.
If he were to stay in Wonsan out of fear of the coronavirus, he could not admit it publicly – because officially there is no Covid-19 in North Korea.
