In this undated photo provided on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, inspects the construction site of a hydroelectric power plant in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s health is in relatively good condition, though he has a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure, according to lawmakers briefed by South Korea’s spy agency.
The National Intelligence Service has used 3-D video analysis designed to monitor changes in a person’s body to check Kim’s condition for years, its official told lawmakers at a briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee earlier this week.
The NIS is also analyzing a soil sample collected from near North Korea’s major nuclear site Punggye-ri, which it dismantled in the presence of international journalists in May, according to the lawmakers.
“The NIS has asked outside experts to look into soil that was collected right after North Korea shut down the nuclear test site on May 24,” a lawmaker was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.
North Korea invited international inspectors to verify the dismantling of the nuclear site, where the reclusive country conducted all six of its nuclear tests, during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang, apparently to defy criticism that the shutdown was only for show.
“It seems to take time to analyze the soil sample,” another lawmaker was quoted as saying. “The NIS is expected to work with not only local experts but also foreign intelligence agencies.”