Officials in the South have announced that the North Korean leader is “alive and well”
South Korean officials have emphasised on exercising caution amid speculations about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The officials denied the rumours about his illness and said that according to their official reports, there have been no unusual movements detected across the border in the northern region. At a closed-door forum on April 26, the Unification Minister of South Korea, Kim Yeon-chul, responsible for overseeing engagements with the north, assured that their intelligence reports are enough to say with confidence that there are no indications of anything unusual or suspicious.
Rumours over the North Korean leader’s health started when he did not make an appearance at a key state holiday on April 15 and has not been seen in public since. Last week, South Korean media reported that Kim may have undergone cardiovascular surgery and had been put in isolation to avoid exposing himself to the coronavirus disease. The top foreign policy advisor to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Moon Chung-in commented for the media in the United States said, “our government position is firm. 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.”
