PHOTOS Kim Jong-un is alive: NK leader reemerges from 20-day absence North Korea’s state news agency on Saturday released this photo of Kim Jong-un, which it said was taken Friday at a fertilizer plant. His sister, Kim Yo-jong, is in the background.Credit...KCNA, via YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered global rumors that he may be seriously ill.The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Sunchon with other senior officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, who many analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published several photos of Kim wearing black and smiling as he looked around the factory and cut a red ribbon, his sister looking from behind. Seemingly thousands of workers, many of them masked, stood in lines at the massive complex, releasing balloons into the air.The images gave no clear sign that Kim was in discomfort. He wasn't seen witMay 2, 2020
'99% sure Kim Jong-un died,' says NK defector-turned-politician Ji Seong-hoA North Korean defector elected as a lawmaker in South Korea claimed Friday that he is “99 percent” sure North Korean leader Kim Jong-un died last weekend after surgery.Unconfirmed reports of Kim's ill health have mounted since he has not appeared in public for nearly three weeks. News reports described Kim as being in “grave danger” after surgery or hiding out at a coastal resort to escape the coronavirus pandemic.Ji Seong-ho, who earned a proportional representation seat for a minor party in the April 15 elections, claimed he is 99 percent sure of Kim's death and North Korea may make the announcement this weekend.“I've wondered how long he could have endured after cardiovascular surgery,” Ji told the Yonhap News Agency. “I've been informed that Kim died last weekend.“It is not 100 percent certain, but I can say the possibility is 99 percent. North Korea is believed to be grappling with a complicated succession issue.” Ji did not reveal the source of his information. His claim cannot be verified independently.The lawmaMay 1, 2020
Sick, dead or trick? NK leader out of public eye for 20th straight day This file photo taken on June 30, 2019 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un walking to a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Panmunjom, Korea. A train likely belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been spotted at a resort town in the country's east, satellite photos reviewed by a US-based think tank showed on April 26, 2020, as speculation persists over his health. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remained out of public view for the 20th straight day Thursday amid persisting speculation about his health and who will take over the nuclear-armed communist nation after him.Kim was last seen in state media on April 11 presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party. State media have since carried reports about him handling state affairs, such as sending messages to foreign leaders, but no photo or video of him has been released.Sparking speculation about Kim's health was his absence from a key ceremony commemorating the 108th birth anniversary of his late grandfather and national founder, May 1, 2020
Pompeo: US preparing for any eventuality in N. Korea U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo smiles during a news conference at the State Department, in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2020. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoThe United States is preparing for any eventuality in North Korea as it monitors the regime closely amid unconfirmed reports about leader Kim Jong-un's ill health, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.Speaking on a radio program, "The Scott Sands Show," Pompeo said it is unusual, but not unheard of, that the North Korean leader has not appeared in public for over two weeks.Kim was last seen presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on April 11."But beyond that, I don't have much that I can share with you today," Pompeo said."We are continuing to monitor closely. We are working to make sure we're prepared for whatever eventuality there is. And President Trump's made clear whatever is going on, we have a very singular mission, and that's to implement the terms of the deal from Singapore, which involves making sure that that country doesn't have nuclear weapons and that we get a brighter fMay 1, 2020
Trump says he 'understands' NK leader's situation U.S. President Donald J. Trump takes questions from reporters after speaking about protecting seniors from the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 30 April 2020. EPA/JIM LO SCALZOU.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he understands the situation with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has been reported to be gravely ill, but refused to discuss it and continued to wish him well.Trump's comments follow unconfirmed reports that Kim is in "grave danger" after surgery or hiding out at a coastal compound to escape the coronavirus pandemic."I understand what's going on, and I just can't talk about Kim Jong-un right now," Trump said at a White House event about protecting seniors. "I just hope everything is going to be fine. But I do understand the situation very well."Trump initially said last week that the U.S. didn't know if the reports were true and later dismissed one particular report by CNN as "incorrect."The cable network had cited a U.S. official as saying that Washington was looking into intelligence that Kim was in "May 1, 2020
Taiwan's intel chief says NK leader Kim Jong-un is 'sick' Taiwan's intelligence chief Chiu Kuo-cheng.By Park Si-soo Taiwan's intelligence chief said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is “sick” but remains in control of the nuclear-armed nation.Chiu Kuo-cheng, director of the National Security Bureau (NSB), said the North has contingency plans in the event of Kim's sudden death, according to local reports.The director revealed this at a government hearing by legislators. “My answer is from the intelligence that is available and it is not an opinion,” Chiu said.He laughed and refused to reply when asked if Kim was alive, the report said.When asked about how the bureau had obtained the sensitive intelligence, the director refused to elaborate, citing the need to protect the intelligence service's sources in North Korea. He assured legislators that contingency plans were ready for a potential power struggle in the region if the North Korean leader did succumb, according to the Taipei Times.In this Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018, photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves after a parade in Pyongyang for the 70th anniMay 1, 2020
North Korean leader believed to be running state affairs 'normally': S. Korean military North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. YonhapSouth Korean military and intelligence authorities believe that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is handling state affairs normally, sources said Wednesday, amid mounting speculation about his health. Kim's absence from public view, particularly at the ceremony to mark the birthday of the national founder and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, has sparked rumors about his health.But the South Korean government has said no unusual movement has been detected in the regime. "In an answer to questions from some lawmakers of the National Assembly's defense committee about Kim's health, the defense ministry, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the intelligence authorities conveyed their assessment that Kim has been running his country normally," a source said.Kim last appeared publicly in its state media on April 11, when he presided over a meeting of the Politburo of the ruling Workers' Party. Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul made the same assessment during a parliamentary meeting Tuesday, saying that North Korean media outlets' reports on the leader's work, sApr 29, 2020
S. Korea minister, US sources, say Kim may be sheltering from virus North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un. YonhapFear of the coronavirus could have been keeping North Korean leader Kim Jong Un out of public sight, a South Korean minister and U.S. sources said on Tuesday, following intense speculation and concern as to his whereabouts and health. Under Kim's rule since 2011, North Korea has expanded its arsenal of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and with no obvious successor, any change in leadership in the secretive, authoritarian state would raise concerns about instability that could impact other North Asian countries and the United States. Speculation about Kim's health erupted after his unprecedented absence from April 15 celebrations to mark the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung. South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with North Korea, said it was plausible Kim that decided against attending due to the coronavirus, given stringent steps his government has taken to head off an outbreak. "He had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung's birthday since he took power, bApr 29, 2020
Quarantine cooperation with N.K. not subject to sanctions: presidential official In this April 1, 2020, file photo, pedestrians wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea. APPotential cooperation between the two Koreas in fighting the coronavirus pandemic is not subject to the international sanctions on Pyongyang, a senior presidential official said Tuesday.South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday vowed to move ahead with "realistic and practical" cooperation with the North, including a joint response to COVID-19 and border-area disasters, as he marked the second anniversary of the historic summit with his northern counterpart, Kim Jong-un."This is a humanitarian matter thus not subject to sanctions," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said in a meeting with reporters. "We expect no major constraints," he said, requesting anonymity.The North has long been subjected to tough sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests. The South plans to prioritize resuming inter-Korean programs that would not undermine the sanctions or getting conditional exemptions.The official also pointed out that Seoul and Washington have had Apr 28, 2020
Ministers reaffirm no signs of Kim Jong-un's ill health Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, right, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha participate in a session of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooUnification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said, Tuesday, that there were no unusual signs regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health amid swirling rumors that he had fallen ill or even died after undergoing cardiovascular surgery.In addition, the minister said Kim's disappearance from the public eye is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the government has knowledge of his current state and whereabouts.Kim has been out of the public eye since April 11, when he presided over a political bureau meeting of the ruling Workers' Party. He skipped an annual visit to Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, April 15, marking the 108th anniversary of the birth of his grandfather, North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung, raising the speculation over his health.“The government's official position is that there is no unusual activity related to Kim's health in the North. We can say tApr 28, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
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