Fear of catching the coronavirus could have kept North Korean leader Kim Jong-un away from state ceremonies for a key holiday in mid-April, a South Korean minister said on Tuesday as speculation swirled over Kim’s whereabouts and health, Reuters reports.
The speculation erupted following Kim’s unprecedented absence from public ceremonies on the April 15 birth anniversary of his grandfather and founder of the country, Kim Il Sung. He has not been seen in public since.
The last time official media in the secretive North Korean state reported on Kim’s whereabouts was when he presided over a meeting on April 11, but there have been near-daily reports of him sending letters and diplomatic messages.
South Korean officials emphasise they have detected no unusual movements in North Korea and have cautioned against reports that Kim may be ill.
North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but given the fact that the country has taken stringent steps to head off an outbreak, Kim’s absence from the ceremonies is not particularly unusual, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees North Korea engagement, told lawmakers.
“It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung’s birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns,” the minister said at a parliamentary hearing.
He said there were at least two instances since mid-January where Kim Jong Un was out of sight for nearly 20 days. “I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation.”
The unification minister described reports that Kim had undergone a heart procedure, and that a Chinese medical team had travelled to North Korea, as “fake news”.
Citing three people familiar with the situation, Reuters reported on Saturday that China had dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on Kim Jong Un, though it was unclear what the trip signalled in terms of Kim’s health.
President Donald Trump said on Monday he has a good idea how Kim Jong Un is doing and hopes he is fine, but would not elaborate. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was aware of reports on Kim’s health and he was paying close attention to developments, Reuters adds.
North Korea had cancelled some large events, and imposed a border lockdown and quarantine measures in an effort to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus.
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