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(CNN) - President Donald Trump appeared to confirm Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "alive and well."
Trump retweeted photos from North Korean state media showing Kim attending a ceremony at the Sunchon Phosphate Fertilizer Factory.
"For my part, I'm glad to see him back, and good!" Trump wrote.
I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well! https://t.co/mIWVeRMnOJ
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2020
This was Kim's first public appearance in about three weeks after worldwide speculation about her health.
CNN contacted the White House for additional information on the president's tweet and whether the White House has authenticated photos released by North Korean state media.
A US official told CNN that the current analysis of multiple intelligence threads is that the photos published in the last 24 hours by North Korean state media, showing Kim at the opening of a fertilizer plant, are legitimate. .
On Sunday (April 26) South Korean presidential adviser Moon Chung-in told CNN that the North Korean leader was "alive and well" despite speculation about his health.
The adviser to the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, indicated that Kim had been staying in the Wonsan area, on the east coast of the country, since April 13, adding: "So far, they have not been detected suspicious movements ”.
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Questions about Kim's health were initially raised after missing her grandfather's birthday celebration on April 15. He had been seen four days earlier at a politburo meeting, according to North Korean state media KCNA.
North Korea strictly controls any information surrounding its leader, who is treated almost like a deity within the country. His absences in the official state media often spark speculation and rumors about his health.
North Korea has no free press and is often a black hole when it comes to the country's leadership. Analysts rely heavily on scanning state media dispatches and watching propaganda videos for any clues.
CNN previously reported that the United States was monitoring information that Kim was "in serious danger after surgery," according to a US official. Another US official told CNN on Monday that Kim's health concerns are credible, but their severity was difficult to assess.
The news followed initial reports from the Daily NK, a South Korean-based internet newspaper focusing on North Korea, which Kim reportedly received a cardiovascular procedure due to "excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork. "
Meanwhile, a website specializing in North Korean affairs released satellite images on Saturday (April 25) that investigators say showed a train "probably owned by Kim Jong Un" parked at a railway station serving the luxurious Kim complex in Wonsan since late April.
The North Korean leader is known to frequent the Wonsan complex, which is serviced by a nearby railway station. The beachfront area is where Kim spent summers as a child, though she often flies or drives there.
Will Ripley, Jake Kwon, Sophie Jeong and Tara John contributed to this report.
Donald Trump Kim Jogn A