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- After about three weeks, Kim Jong Un has been shown in public again for the first time.
- North Korean rulers attended a ceremony to complete a fertilizer factory north of Pyongyang, according to state media.
- The official newspaper “Rodong Sinmun” showed images of Kim cutting a red ribbon in a dark Mao suit or walking in a circle of officials with a smile.
According to observers, Kim’s appearance on the scene should end speculation about his health. The state-controlled media had not reported on the ruler’s public activities for 20 days. Especially after he was absent from Pyongyang on April 15 at birthday celebrations for his grandfather and former head of state Kim Il Sung, rumors persisted that Kim was seriously ill.
Speculation on the state of health.
One reason why he had disappeared from the scene for weeks now was not mentioned in the country’s media. North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world. Kim had organized a major party meeting in Pyongyang on April 11, after which he had not appeared.
The US news channel CNN had recently reported, citing a government official, that Kim was “in grave danger after an operation.” The report had met with skepticism in South Korea. According to the Seoul Presidential Office, there was initially no indication of Kim’s main health problems. The South Korean government also assumed that Kim was still in control of government affairs and was outside of Pyongyang.
Prolonged absence is not uncommon
The “Daily NK” newspaper in South Korea, which specializes in North Korea, reported that Kim had had an operation on his heart. But it is recovering outside the capital. According to South Korea, Kim is 36 years old. He is overweight and is considered a chain smoker. Her father Kim Jong Il, from whom she took power, had died of a heart attack in late 2011.
It is not unusual for Kim not to appear in public for a long time. In 2014, he disappeared from the scene for almost six weeks. Then he showed himself with a cane. At the time, intelligence agencies in South Korea suspected that Kim had had a cyst removed from her ankle.
