Amid rising suspense, South Korea says North Korea leader Kim Jong Un is ‘alive and well’
Amid rising speculations over the health of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea has reiterated that the reclusive leader is “alive and well.”
“Our government position is firm,” Moon Chung-in, the top foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told CNN. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected,” added Moon.
Questions over Kim’s well-being were raised on April 15 after he failed to attend the celebration of his grandfather’s birthday. Kim was last seen on April 11 at a politburo meeting.
Few days ago, CNN had reported that the US is closely monitoring intelligence that Kim is “in grave danger after a surgery.” A senior US official told CNN on Monday that the concerns about Kim’s health are credible, but they are yet to confirm their severity.
Earlier, Daily NK, a South-Korea based online newspaper that focuses on North Korea, had reported that Kim received a cardiovascular procedure because of “excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork.” The newspaper added that the North Korean leader is currently recuperating at a villa in Hyangsan County. Acording to Daily NK, most of the doctors returned to Pyongyang on April 19 after assessing that Kim’s condition had improved.
A special train possibly belonging to reclusive North Korean leader, ruler, Kim Jong-un, has been spotted at a resort town, claimed a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project.
The monitoring project, 38 North, said in that the train was parked at the “leadership station” in Wonsan on April 21, reported Guardian. It is to be noted that the ‘leadership station’ is reserved for the use of Kim and his close family members.
“The train’s presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast,” the report said.
