'NK leader has gout'

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Kim Jong-un

South Korean officials are keeping a close watch on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s health after he failed to attend a Supreme People’s Assembly meeting on Thursday.

He had never missed the key gathering since 2012, when he took power.

Kim has not been seen in public for 23 days since early September when he attended a concert.

His rare absence and disappearance from the public eye have fueled speculation about whether he has a serious health problem.

On Friday, the Ministry of Unification said it was not in a position to confirm anything.

“North Korea has not mentioned anything about his absence in the gathering, so basically there is nothing that we can confirm regarding Kim’s whereabouts,” said Unification Ministry vice spokeswoman Park Soo-jin.

Asking for anonymity, a government official cautiously raised the possibility that Kim’s absence might not be associated with his health.

“I believe that Kim may believe he is fully in control in the North and that there will be no major challenge to his power,” the official said. “So he might have felt there was no need to attend meetings or gatherings that he thought were not important.”

But some people have speculated that health issues were behind Kim’s absence.

Television footage aired in July showed the North Korean leader limping because of a problem with his left leg. In late August, the state-controlled Central News Agency television also showed him limping.

Quoting a source, Yonhap News Agency reported that Kim ― who has hyperlipidemia, diabetes and hypertension ― also has gout, which caused him to limp.

People with gout, which is caused by too much uric acid in the blood, suffer severe pain because the condition causes the joints to swell.

Heavy drinking, overeating, obesity and lack of exercise are possible causes of gout.

Family history could be another reason. Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung and father Kim Jong-il also had gout.

South Korean intelligence authorities have reportedly been informed that foreign medical staff were recently in the North to treat Kim’s leg.