South Korea's spy agency said there are no signs North Korean President Kim Jong Un underwent heart surgery. Intelligence officials refuted the claims the leader was 'gravely ill' following surgery.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the completion of a fertiliser plant, in a region north of the capital, Pyongyang, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 2, 2020.
Speaking to a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, May 6, South Korea's spy agency chief Suh Hoon told a congressional committee there is nothing to worry about Kim's health.
Rumors that Kim was unwell garnered attention after he failed to attend the annual ceremonies to mark the April 15 anniversary of the birth of the country's founder Kim Il-sung. The North Korean leader was only seen on Saturday while he was seen attending a ceremony in a fertilizer factory.
Groundless reports, says South Korean intelligence
Members of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee said after an assembly with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) that the reports were 'groundless.'
"The NIS assesses that at least he did not get any heart-related procedure or surgery," committee member Kim Byung-kee told reporters. The North Korean leader, according to the official, was usually performing his duties away from the public eye.
"At least there's no heart-related health problem," he added. Two leading experts backed this assessment, according to Newsweek.
In a report by DailyMail, the lawmaker said Kim Jong Un only had 17 public appearances this year, compared to an average of 50 from previous years.
Kim Byung-kee said the North Korean leader focused on strengthening military forces and party-state meetings. The official added Kim Jong Un's public activity was further limited due to coronavirus concerns.
While North Korea insists that there have been no recorded instances of the new coronavirus disease, NIS did not rule out the possibility of an outbreak there. Kim Byung-kee said Pyongyang had active exchanges with Beijing in January.
South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-Chul said Kim's disappearance was not unusual as the country takes steps to prevent the pandemic.
No unusual movements
South Korea had urged warning over the reviews of Kim's ill-health, emphasizing that intelligence agency had detected no unusual movements throughout the border.
The warning comes after a former senior North Korea diplomat wrongly announced that Kim Jong-un was likely ill.
North Korea's former deputy ambassador to Britain, Thae Yong Ho, told CNN Kim's 'abnormal' absence meant the leader must be physically impaired.
As hypothesis mounted, Newsweek said a nonprofit news site pronounced that Kim Jong Un had gone through a heart procedure. Newsweek cited an anonymous source in North Korea, saying the leader was recovering at a mountain villa north of Pyongyang.
Other media reports also suggested the North Korean leader was ill, injured, or even dead. However, officials told Newsweek there was no proof suggesting anything was amiss in North Korea, based on observations of regional army activities.
Had Kim Jong Un gone missing before?
According to BBC, Kim Jong-un disappeared from the public eye last 2014. His 40-day disappearance sparked a torrent of speculation - before reappearing, pictured with a cane.
North Korea admitted their leader suffered from an "uncomfortable physical condition." Still, it did not address rumors that Kim Jong-un suffered from gout.
