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(CNN) – South Korea continued to pour water on growing health speculation by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and told CNN that he is “alive and well.”
“Our position in government is firm,” Moon Chung-in, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s top foreign policy adviser, told CNN. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been in the Wonsan area since April 13. So far, no suspicious movements have been detected. ”
Questions about Kim’s health arose after missing her grandfather’s birthday celebration on April 15. He had been seen four days earlier at a politburo meeting, according to North Korean state media KCNA.
CNN reported earlier this week that the United States is closely following information that Kim is “in serious danger after surgery,” according to a US official. Another US official told CNN on Monday that Kim’s health concerns are credible, but their severity is difficult to assess.
It was followed by a report from the Daily NK, a South Korean-based online newspaper focusing on North Korea, which Kim reportedly received a cardiovascular procedure due to “excessive smoking, obesity and overwork.” He added that the leader is now receiving treatment at a villa in Hyangsan county.
After evaluating that Kim’s condition had improved, most of the medical team that cared for him returned to Pyongyang on April 19, while some of them remained to monitor his recovery, according to the news site. CNN has not been able to independently confirm this report.
However, on Sunday, North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim sent a thank you to workers who helped remodel the city of Samjiyon in North Korea. CNN was unable to independently confirm the authenticity of this information on Sunday and whether the thank you note came directly from the leader.
It is not the first time that the North Korean media has reported on Kim’s activities since news of his possible health problems emerged.
Train in Wonsan
North Korea strictly controls any information surrounding its leader, who is treated almost like a deity within the country. His absences in the official state media often spark speculation and rumors about his health.
North Korea has no free press and is often a black hole when it comes to the country’s leadership. Analysts rely heavily on scanning state media dispatches and watching propaganda videos for any clues.
A website specializing in North Korean affairs released satellite images on Saturday that researchers said showed that a train “probably owned by Kim Jong Un” has been parked at a railway station serving Kim’s luxurious Wonsan complex. on the east coast of the country since at least April 21.
Satellite images show what the train belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be.
The train’s presence does not prove that the DPRK leader is in the Wonsan complex, but it “gives weight” to reports that he is staying in the area, according to an article published by 38 North, which publishes analysis on North Korea and is a project of the Henry L. Stimson Center, an expert group based in Washington, DC.
The website reported that the station where the train is located is “reserved for use by the Kim family.” Satellite images indicate that the train, which was not present in the area on April 15, arrived sometime before April 21 and continued at the location on April 23. By April 23, the train “appeared to be repositioned to depart,” according to 38 North.
The Wonsan complex, according to 38 North, includes leisure facilities such as nine large guest houses, a recreation center, a large building built after Kim came to power, a protected port, a shooting range, a recreation building, a covered pier and a small track turned into a riding track in 2019, a hobby of Kim.
The beachfront area, where Kim spent summers as a child, is a place that the North Korean leader frequently enjoys. Kim, however, often flies or drives to Wonsan.
