Kim Jong-un 'makes first public appearance' after 'gravely ill' rumour
Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertiliser factory near Pyongyang, ending an absence that triggered rumours the North Korean leader was seriously ill.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday (local time) said Mr Kim attended the ceremony on Friday in Suncheon with other senior officials, including sister Kim Yo Jong, who many analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.
Neither the KCNA, nor the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, immediately released photos online from the ceremony.
It was Mr Kim's first public appearance since April 11, when he presided over a ruling Workers' Party meeting to discuss the coronavirus and reappoint his sister as an alternate member of the powerful decision-making political bureau of the party's central committee.
That move confirmed her substantial role in the government.
Speculation about his health swirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country's most important holiday, for the first time since taking power in 2011.
Without publishing images, state media reported he was carrying out routine activities outside public view, such as sending greetings to the leaders of Syria, Cuba and South Africa and expressing gratitude to workers building tourist facilities in the coastal town of Wonsan, where some speculated he was staying.
South Korea's government, which has a mixed record of tracking Pyongyang's ruling elite, repeatedly downplayed speculation Mr Kim, believed to be 36, was in poor health following surgery.
The office of President Moon Jae-in said it detected no unusual signs in North Korea or any emergency reaction by the country's ruling party, military and cabinet.
It believed Mr Kim was still managing state affairs, but staying at an unspecified location outside Pyongyang.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the North Korean leader’s absence in past weeks.
In 2014, Mr Kim vanished from the public eye for nearly six weeks and then reappeared with a cane. South Korea's spy agency said he had a cyst removed from his ankle.
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