Message to the West as Kim reappears to ‘thunderous cheers’ after health rumours
MOST ribbon-cutting ceremonies are unremarkable affairs, the stuff of local newspaper photographs at most.
But this one was different. It involved North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un in his first reported appearance in 20 days, during which there has been intense speculation about his health and even whether he was still alive.
The newly released footage of Kim glad-handing at a North Korean fertiliser production plant north of Pyongyang on Friday would appear to have put an end to that. He was pictured standing in front of a banner reading May 1, to drive home the point.
The date is also written in the Latin alphabet, in case there were any doubts about which audience this “proof ” is for. The choice of backdrop may be another hidden message to the West. The fertiliser plant has been the subject of attention for years because of its potential dual-use in the process of uranium extraction from phosphoric acid, allowing North Korea to conceal its nuclear activities from the outside world.
According to state news agency KCNA, which released the images, Kim was accompanied by his younger sister Kim Yo-jong. Those attending “burst into thunderous cheers of ‘hurrah!’ for the Supreme Leader,” the agency said.
Speculation about Kim’s health began after he missed the birth anniversary of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, on April 15, when he usually pays a visit to the mausoleum where the nation’s founder lies in state.
Robert E Kelly, professor of political science at Pusan National University, in South Korea, said: “We can’t know, of course; it’s North Korea. But I do think he’s OK at the moment. The evidence is fairly convincing.”