Kim Jong-un ‘alive and well’, says South Korea

SOUTH KOREA yesterday downplayed ongoing speculation surrounding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, dismissing rumours of ill health and proclaiming him to be “alive and well”.

Both the office of Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, and the unification ministry, which oversees the South’s fraught relationship with the North, stressed that they had detected “no unusual movements” in North Korea, days after unverified media speculation that he was seriously ill or close to death.

Kim Yeon-chul, South Korea’s unification minister, said that the country’s “confident” conclusion was drawn from “a complex process of intelligence gathering and assessment”, although he declined to give further details about how the information was obtained.

Suspicion that something may be amiss began after Kim failed to show up at events to mark the anniversary of the birthday of North Korean founding father, and his grandfather – Kim Ilsung – on April 15. Kim has not missed celebrating the “Day of the Sun” since he came to power in 2011, and no explanation was given.

But South Korea has been at pains to quell the more hyperbolic reports about Kim’s health condition that have snowballed since the US media claimed early last week that the reclusive leader may be in “grave danger” after cardiovascular surgery.

Moon Chung-in, a special adviser to the South Korean president, contradicted that report, maintaining in an interview with CNN that “Kim Jong-un is alive and well”.

President Moon yesterday said he was holding out expectations that the pandemic could produce a fresh breakthrough with the North over stalled nuclear talks, suggesting he did not believe the country was on the verge of political turmoil.