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A special train possibly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen this week in a tourist town in the country, according to satellite images reviewed by a Washington-based North Korean monitoring project, amid conflicting reports on health and the Mr. Kim’s whereabouts.
The monitoring project, 38 North, said in its report on Saturday that the train was parked at the “leadership station” in Wonsan on April 21 and 23. The station is reserved for the use of the Kim family, he said.
Although the group said it was probably Kim Jong Un’s train, Reuters He was unable to independently confirm that, or whether he was at Wonsan.
“The presence of the train does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but gives weight to reports that Kim is staying in an elite area on the east coast of the country,” the report said.
Speculations about Mr. Kim’s health first emerged due to his absence on the birthday anniversary of North Korea’s founding father and Mr. Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.
North Korea’s state media last reported on Kim’s whereabouts when he chaired a meeting on April 11.
China has sent a team to North Korea that includes medical experts to advise on Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation.
As a third-generation hereditary leader who came to power after his father’s death in 2011, Kim has no clear successor in a nuclear-armed country, which could present great international risk.
On Thursday, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, played down the reports that Kim was ill. “I think the report was incorrect,” Trump told reporters, but declined to say whether he had been in contact with North Korean officials.
Trump has met with Kim three times in an attempt to persuade him to abandon a nuclear weapons program that threatens both the United States and its Asian neighbors. While the talks stalled, Trump continued to acclaim Kim as a friend.
Reports and controls
Reporting from North Korea is notoriously difficult due to tight controls on information.
A Trump administration official said North Korea’s continued days of media silence on Kim’s whereabouts had raised concerns about his condition, and that information remained scarce from a country that U.S. intelligence has considered during a long time as a “black box”.
The US Department of State. USA He did not immediately respond to questions about the situation on Saturday.
Daily NK, a Seoul-based website reporting on North Korea, quoted an unidentified source in North Korea on Monday as saying Kim had received medical treatment in Hyangsan tourist county north of the capital Pyongyang.
He said Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12.
Since then, several South Korean media reports have quoted unidentified sources this week as saying that Mr. Kim could stay in the Wonsan area.
On Friday, local news agency. Newsis South Korean intelligence sources were cited as reporting that a special train had been seen for Mr. Kim’s use in Wonsan, while Mr. Kim’s private plane remained in Pyongyang.
Newsis Mr. Kim reported that he may be taking refuge from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Kim, who is believed to be 36 years old, has disappeared before North Korean state media coverage. In 2014, he went missing for over a month, and North Korean state television later showed him limping around.
Speculation about his health has been fueled by his heavy smoking, apparent weight gain since he took power, and a family history of cardiovascular problems.
