After a three-week absence, North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un has appeared in public again, according to media reports.
Seoul (AP) - North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un attended a ceremony to complete a fertilizer factory in Pyongan province, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, North Korea's state media reports.
There was initially no independent confirmation of the reports from North Korea. Kim's absence had recently caused a sensation internationally. Reports of an allegedly serious illness of Kim who is only in his mid-30s have not been commented on by North Korea.
US President Donald Trump said in Washington to the report: "I would prefer not to comment on that yet." One would express itself in due course.
The Presidential Office in South Korea had contradicted reports by the US news channel CNN that Kim was "in serious danger" after an operation. The South Korean news portal "Daily NK" had previously reported, citing an informant in the neighboring country, that Kim had undergone a heart surgery on April 12. He recovered after an operation. Kim is overweight and is said to be a heavy smoker.
Last Sunday, Fox News broadcaster quoted South Korean foreign policy presidential advisor Moon Chung In as saying that Kim was "alive and well". Kim has been in Wonsan since April 13.
There is no reliable knowledge of the situation in North Korea, which is largely isolated from the outside world. The Pyongyang tour usually controls the information about Kim and his family extremely strictly.