South Korea says Kim Jong Un not critically ill amid reports the North Korean leader in 'grave danger'
21 April, 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had not been seriously ill, two South Korean government sources said on Tuesday (Apr 21), following reports he previously undergone a cardiovascular procedure and was now in "grave danger".
Kim was acquiring treatment after undergoing the task, a South Korean media report said late on Monday, amid speculation over Kim's health following his absence from an integral anniversary event this month.
The reports about Kim's health aren't true, two South Korean government sources said. The presidential Blue House said there are no unusual signs from the North.
Daily NK, a Seoul-based speciality website, cited unidentified sources inside isolated state saying Kim is recovering at a villa in the Mount Kumgang resort county of Hyangsan on the east coast after undergoing the cardiovascular procedure at a hospital on Apr 12.
CNN reported that Kim was in "grave danger".
An authoritative US source familiar with internal US government reporting on North Korea questioned the CNN report that Kim is seriously ill, despite the fact that he has been out of the public eye for an extended period.
There's been speculation over Kim's health after he was absent from a meeting marking the anniversary of the birthday of its founding father and Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on Apr 15.
On Apr 12, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un had visited an airbase and observed drills by fighter jets and attack aircraft.
Two days later North Korea launched multiple short-range anti-ship cruise missiles in to the sea and Sukhoi jets fired air-to-surface missiles as part of military exercises, South Korea's military said.
The missile tests were done on the eve of a national visit to North Korea to celebrate the birthday of Kim Il Sung.
US-North Korea denuclearisation talks stalled by the end of 2019 and analysts say this year’s string of tests and military drills appear aimed at underscoring North Korea’s return to a far more hard-line policy.
Reporting from inside North Korea is notoriously difficult, especially on matters regarding the country's leadership, given tight controls on information.
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