Kim reappears, ends rumours
Seoul, May 2: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertiliser factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered global rumours 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 officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, who analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.
State media showed videos and photos of Kim wearing a black Mao suit and constantly smiling, walking around facilities, applauding, cutting a huge red ribbon with a scissor handed by his sister, and smoking inside and outside of buildings while talking with other officials. Thousands of workers, many of them masked, stood in lines at the massive complex, roaring in celebration and releasing balloons into the air.
A sign installed on a stage where Kim sat with other senior officials read: “Sunchon Phosphatic Fertiliser Factory; Completion Ceremony; May 1, 2020.” There were no clear signs that Kim was in discomfort. He was shown moving without a walking stick, like the one he used in 2014 when he was recovering from a presumed ankle surgery.
He was also seen riding a green electric cart, which appeared similar to a vehicle he used in 2014. It was Kim’s first public appearance since April
11, when he presided over a ruling Workers’ Party meeting to discuss the
Covid-19.