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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a Workers’ Party of Korea politburo meeting in Pyongyang on Apr. 11. (Yonhap News)

Even though the Blue House has repeatedly denied shocking reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in grave condition, rumors continued to circulate on Apr. 22. US President Donald Trump fielded a question about reports of Kim’s health status during a press conference, and the South Korean National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held a closed-door session in which it was briefed about the reports by the Ministry of Unification (MOU).

North Korea’s leading state-run media, including the Rodong Sinmun, haven’t reported any public appearances by Kim since Apr. 12, when a report said that he’d presided over a meeting of the politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) on Apr. 11.

“Yesterday’s announcement that no unusual signs have been detected inside North Korea remains valid today [Apr. 22],” said a senior official at the Blue House. That comment was echoed by a high-ranking official in the government: “Reports that Kim Jong-un has undergone an operation or is in critical condition are not true.”

Asked about reports that Kim’s health was in danger during a coronavirus briefing at the White House on the afternoon of Apr. 21, Trump said, “These are reports that came out, and we don’t know.”

Trump also mentioned a report by CNN titled “US monitoring intelligence that North Korean leader is in grave danger after surgery.” “They came out with very, very serious medical reports. Nobody [in the government] has confirmed that [the reports are true],” the president said.

“I can only say this: I wish him well,” Trump added. “I just have to say to Kim Jong-un, I wish him very [. . .] good luck.”

During its closed-door session, the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee was briefed by the government about South Korea and the US’ ongoing defense cost-sharing negotiations and about the speculation concerning Kim’s health. The session was arranged so hurriedly that Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha could not attend because of other engagements. The briefing was presented by Lee Sang-min, head of the planning and coordination office at the MOU, and by Baek Tae-hyeon, head of the MOU’s political analysis bureau.

According to Yoon Sang-hyun, the committee chair, the MOU officials said there had been neither any indications that Kim had made any public appearances since the WPK politburo meeting nor any unusual signs of activities inside North Korea so far. MOU officials noted in their briefing that reports in the Rodong Sinmun and other state-run media in North Korea indicate that Kim Jong-un is continuing to perform his ordinary duties, such as sending personal letters to the president of Cuba (on the first page of the Apr. 21 edition of the Rodong Sinmun) and to the president of Zimbabwe (on the first page of the Apr. 19 edition of the Rodong Sinmun).

Yoon took issue with the MOU’s briefing. “The Unification Ministry said it hasn’t detected any unusual signs inside North Korea. But if Kim’s failure to attend the ceremony for the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung [on Apr. 15] and the session of the Supreme People’s Assembly isn’t an unusual sign, I don’t know what is.”

But since Kim isn’t a lawmaker in North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, his absence from the assembly’s third session on Apr. 12 doesn’t present a problem, logically speaking. Furthermore, Kim has missed five of the 12 sessions that the assembly has held since taking power in 2012, suggesting there’s no reason to regard his absence as an “unusual sign.”

That said, North Korean media didn’t report Kim paying his respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum holding the bodies of his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung, on the Day of the Sun, the birth anniversary of Kim, which is considered the most important holiday on the North Korean calendar. This was the first time that Kim apparently missed the event, which has provoked a wide variety of speculation.

“What I’m told is that Kim was at another location outside of Pyongyang on the Day of the Sun. We’re also curious about why Kim didn’t attend the Day of the Sun ceremony, but that need not be taken as a sign of something unusual,” said a well-positioned source who is familiar with developments in North Korea. Kim has reportedly been staying in the Wonsan area since he presided over the politburo meeting.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer, and Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]