The United States has fuelled speculation about the Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un’s health after stating that they have received information that the North Korean leader was in critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery last week, CNN reported quoting an anonymous US official.
The South Korean government on Tuesday, 21 April, was looking into US media reports saying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was in fragile condition after surgery.
Officials from South Korea's Unification Ministry and National Intelligence Service said that they couldn't immediately confirm the report. The anonymous US official, CNN reported, said Kim was in “grave danger” after an unspecified surgery.
South Korea's presidential office on Tuesday said no suspicious activities have been detected in North Korea. The presidential Blue House added it couldn't confirm Kim's current health, AP reported.
Kim Missed Grandfather’s B’day Celebration
Recently, Kim missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday on 15 April, which raised speculation about his well-being. He had been seen four days before that at a government meeting.
The Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said that it couldn't confirm another report by Daily NK, which cited anonymous sources to report that Kim was recovering from heart surgery in the capital Pyongyang and that his condition was improving.
The health of the North Korean leader is one of the state's most closely guarded secrets, typically only known by a handful of the people in the inner circle of his leadership.
The Unification Ministry on Friday said that it was "inappropriate" to speculate about the reasons for the leader's absence, reported Bloomberg.
Credible information about North Korea and especially its leadership is difficult to obtain and even intelligence agencies have been wrong about its inner workings in the past.
(With inputs from AP, Bloomberg,CNN)
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