27 April 2020, Kathmandu
The South Korean government has said that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un is ‘alive and well,’ at a time when the speculation over his health condition is mounting.
“Kim Jong Un is alive and well,” CNN quoted Moon Chung-in, the top foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, as saying and added that he has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13.
He further said that no suspicious movements have so far been detected so far.
Questions have been raised about Kim’s well-being after he abstained from the celebration of his grandfather’s birthday held on April 15.
According to North Korean state media, KCNA, he had been spotted at a politburo meeting four days before his grandfather’s birthday anniversary.
Earlier, an online newspaper based in South Korea that focuses on North Korea, that Kim reportedly had received a cardiovascular procedure because of “excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork.”
The report said the leader was now receiving treatment in a villa in Hyangsan County.
After assessing that Kim’s condition had improved, most of the medical team treating him returned to Pyongyang on April 19 while some of them remained to oversee his recovery, according to the news site.
Meanwhile, the North Korean government in a press release thanked the medical persons involved in King Jong Un’s treatment, pouring water on speculation that spread like a wild fire.
It is not the first time North Korean media has reported on Kim’s activities since news of his potential health issues emerged.
(With inputs from Agencies)