Kim Jong-Un's private life is one of the regime's best kept secrets. After three weeks of speculation about his state of health, the North Korean leader has just reappeared publicly, says AFP.
The head of state, whose age is estimated at 36, participated in the inauguration of a factory on Friday, confirmed the KCNA agency. He attended the ceremony, "and" all the participants threw hurray! When it appeared, said the official agency. Specialist journalist Martyn Williams relayed an audio recording of Korean Central Radio, the state's official radio, on Twitter. However, no image has yet been published.
Kim Jong Un's reappearance led the 6am news on Korean Central Radio. Here's the best recording I got (with black video because Twitter won't let me upload audio only) pic.twitter.com/LNYWmywgvd
- Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) May 1, 2020In the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, the North Korean leader had not appeared in public since he had chaired a politburo meeting on April 11. The next day, official media claimed that he was inspecting fighter jets at a military base.
Daily NK, an online media outlet run mainly by defected North Koreans, later claimed that the North Korean leader had been operated on in April for cardiovascular problems due to his "excessive smoking" and overweight , and that he was recovering in a villa in the province of North Pyongan.
CNN, quoting an American official, had for its part reported that Washington "studied (information)" according to which Kim Jong Un was "in serious danger after a surgical operation". The manager's age, kept secret, is estimated to be around 36 years.
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Already in 2014, a long period of media absence from Kim Jong Un had frightened the actors of the diplomatic scene. He reappeared after six weeks, helped by a cane.