North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to be handling state affairs as usual, South Korea’s government said Tuesday after unconfirmed rumors described him as in fragile condition after surgery.
The Blue House later said Kim was believed to be staying at an unspecified location outside of Pyongyang with some of his close confidants. The office said Kim appeared to be normally engaged with state affairs and there weren’t any unusual movements, or emergency reactions from the North’s ruling party, military or cabinet.
The U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not elaborate on where the information came from or when it had been received. The White House and State Department had no comment. Kim In-chul, the spokesman of South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, said Seoul and Washington are maintaining close communication but didn’t provide a direct answer when asked whether the allies exchanged any meaningful intelligence about Kim’s health.A political upheaval in North Korea would be unlikely even if Kim became sidelined by health problems, according to analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea.
In 2016, South Korea media quoted intelligence officials as saying Kim Jong Un had had a former military chief executed for corruption and other charges. But North Korea’s state media months later showed Ri Yong Gil alive and serving in new senior posts.
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