Seoul sees no suspicious activity in North amid rumors Kim in poor health

The South Korean government says no unusual activity has been detected in North Korea after unconfirmed reports described leader Kim Jong Un as in fragile condition after heart surgery.

The presidential Blue House says it has no information about the rumors on Kim’s health. Speculation often surfaces about North Korea’s leadership based on attendance at important state events. Kim, who is in his mid-30s, missed the celebration of his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung on April 15, the country’s most important holiday.

At his last public appearance, he presided over a political bureau meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on April 11, discussing preventive measures against the coronavirus and electing his sister as an alternate member of the bureau. However, state media reported Kim sent greetings to Syrian President Bashar Assad last week and a “birthday spread” to a North Korean woman who turned 100 on Monday.

“We have no information to confirm regarding rumors about Chairman Kim Jong Un’s health issue that have been reported by some media outlets. Also, no unusual developments have been detected inside North Korea,” Blue House spokesman Kang Min-seok says in the statement.

A US official says the White House was aware before the reports appeared late Monday that Kim’s health might be precarious. The official says the US had information that Kim may have undergone surgery and that complications may have rendered him “incapacitated or worse.” But, the official stresses that the US has nothing to confirm the surgery had taken place or that any complications had occurred.

“We just don’t know,” says the official, who is not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and speaks on condition of anonymity. The US official won’t elaborate on where the information came from or when it had been received. The White House and State Department have no comment.

— AP