Fear of the coronavirus could have been keeping North Korean leader Kim Jong Un out of public sight, a South Korean minister and U.S. sources said, following intense speculation and concern as to his whereabouts and health.
Speculation about Kim’s health erupted after his unprecedented absence from April 15 celebrations to mark the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with North Korea, said it was plausible Kim that decided against attending due to the coronavirus, given stringent steps his government has taken to head off an outbreak.
“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 told a parliamentary hearing.
I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation,” the minister said, although North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
An authoritative source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said credible reports to the U.S government suggested the reason Kim’s presidential train had been spotted near a presidential retreat at the resort of Wonsan last week was that Kim had been staying there to avoid catching the virus.
U.S. government experts lacked categorical evidence to prove this, but were for the most part dismissing media reports suggesting that Kim had contracted some kind of serious illness, the source said.
Kim Yeon-chul described reports that Kim had undergone a heart procedure, and that a Chinese medical team had travelled to North Korea, as “fake news.”
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington’s view was largely in line with the South Korean minister’s assessment.
