South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s chief security adviser said Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un is “alive and well,” contrary to rumors circulating that he was in a vegetative state.
“Our government position is firm,” Moon Chung-in, the South Korea president’s adviser, said in an interview with CNN on Sunday. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well,” he added.
Moon Chung-in also said that Kim Jong Un had been staying in Wonsan since April 13. The place is a resort town east of North Korea. “No suspicious movements have so far been detected,” Moon added.
Kim’s absence in the birthday celebration of his grandfather on April 15 sparked speculations about his health condition. He had been seen four days before that at a government meeting.
Daily NK, an online newspaper in South Korea that focuses on North Korea, said Kim reportedly received a cardiovascular system surgery on April 12.
The news site said Kim received had the procedure because of “excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork.” Kim is now receiving treatment in a villa in Hyangsan County following his procedure, the site added.
Just this weekend, different media outlets reported various claims regarding the health condition of Kim Jong Un.
Citing a “very solid source,” a Hong Kong Satellite Television Shijian Xingzou’s vice director said Kim already died.
Meanwhile, a Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai reported he was in a “vegetative state” after he underwent heart surgery earlier this month and cannot recover.
Monthly Chosun, a South Korean media outlet, also reported Kim was in a coma.
However, none of the said reports were verified and supported with substantial evidence.
US
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he doesn’t know the real health status of Kim Jong Un, but he still wishes him well.
“I wish him well, we’ve had a good relationship,” Trump said at a White House briefing.
“We don’t know” if the reports about Kim getting ill are true, he added. “Good luck,” Trump said.
President Trump and Kim met three times. They even crossed the
Korean Demilitarized Zone last summer and said they had developed a strong relationship.
“I’ve had a very good relationship with him,” Trump said.
