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SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is “alive and well,” said a senior security adviser to South President Moon Jae-in, downplaying rumors about Kim’s health after his absence on a key anniversary.
“Our position in government is firm,” Moon’s special adviser on national security Moon Chung-in said in an interview with CNN on Sunday. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well.”
The adviser said Kim had been staying in Wonsan, a tourist town in the east of the country, since April 13, adding: “So far, no suspicious movements have been detected.”
Kim’s conjecture about health has grown since his notable absence from the April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founder of the North, the most important day in the country’s political calendar.
Kim has not made a public appearance since he chaired a Workers’ Party politburo meeting on April 11, and the next day the state media reported him inspecting fighter jets in an air defense unit.
His absence has sparked a series of unconfirmed media reports of his condition, in which Seoul officials previously poured cold water.
“We have nothing to confirm and so far no special movement has been detected within North Korea,” the South presidential office said in a statement last week.
Daily NK, an online media outlet primarily run by North Korean defectors, reported that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure earlier this month.
Citing an unidentified source within the country, he said Kim, who is in her 30s, had urgently needed treatment due to smoking, obesity and fatigue.
Soon after, CNN reported that Washington was “monitoring intelligence” that Kim was “in grave danger” after undergoing surgery, citing what he said was an unnamed United States official.
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that Kim was ill, but declined to say when the last contact was with him.
On Monday, the official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim had sent a message of thanks to workers at the gigantic coastal tourism project Wonsan Kalma.
It was the latest in a series of reports in recent days of statements issued or actions taken on Kim’s behalf, though none have carried photos of him.
Satellite images reviewed by 38North, a group of experts based in the United States, showed a train that probably belonged to Kim at a station in Wonsan last week.
He warned that the train’s presence “did not indicate anything about his health,” but “lent weight” to reports that he was staying on the east coast of the country.
Reporting from within the isolated North is notoriously difficult, especially anything to do with his leadership, which is among his best-kept secrets.
Kim’s previous absences from the public eye have sparked speculation about his health.
In 2014 he was out of sight for almost six weeks before reappearing with a cane. Days later, the Southern spy agency said he had undergone surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle.
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“Our position in government is firm,” Moon’s special adviser on national security Moon Chung-in said in an interview with CNN on Sunday. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well.”
The adviser said Kim had been staying in Wonsan, a tourist town in the east of the country, since April 13, adding: “So far, no suspicious movements have been detected.”
Kim’s conjecture about health has grown since his notable absence from the April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founder of the North, the most important day in the country’s political calendar.
Kim has not made a public appearance since he chaired a Workers’ Party politburo meeting on April 11, and the next day the state media reported him inspecting fighter jets in an air defense unit.
His absence has sparked a series of unconfirmed media reports of his condition, in which Seoul officials previously poured cold water.
“We have nothing to confirm and so far no special movement has been detected within North Korea,” the South presidential office said in a statement last week.
Daily NK, an online media outlet primarily run by North Korean defectors, reported that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure earlier this month.
Citing an unidentified source within the country, he said Kim, who is in her 30s, had urgently needed treatment due to smoking, obesity and fatigue.
Soon after, CNN reported that Washington was “monitoring intelligence” that Kim was “in grave danger” after undergoing surgery, citing what he said was an unnamed United States official.
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that Kim was ill, but declined to say when the last contact was with him.
On Monday, the official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim had sent a message of thanks to workers at the gigantic coastal tourism project Wonsan Kalma.
It was the latest in a series of reports in recent days of statements issued or actions taken on Kim’s behalf, though none have carried photos of him.
Satellite images reviewed by 38North, a group of experts based in the United States, showed a train that probably belonged to Kim at a station in Wonsan last week.
He warned that the train’s presence “did not indicate anything about his health,” but “lent weight” to reports that he was staying on the east coast of the country.
Reporting from within the isolated North is notoriously difficult, especially anything to do with his leadership, which is among his best-kept secrets.
Kim’s previous absences from the public eye have sparked speculation about his health.
In 2014 he was out of sight for almost six weeks before reappearing with a cane. Days later, the Southern spy agency said he had undergone surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle.
