S. Korea’s spy agency denies Kim Jong-un’s illness, surgery

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (KCNA-Yonhap) via The Korea Herald

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is neither seriously ill nor had undergone heart surgery, South Korea’s spy agency confirmed to lawmakers on Wednesday.

“At least, it is judged that Kim did not receive surgery or a medical procedure related to his heart,” the ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-kee told reporters after a closed-door parliamentary briefing with the National Intelligence Service. “(We were also told that) while he was not shown in public he was administering the state affairs as usual.”

The NIS reported that the North Korean leader has appeared in public 17 times this year so far, which is the fewest since he assumed power in 2011. The figure represents a fall of 66 percent in comparison to 50 during the same period last year. The intelligence agency sees this as largely due to Kim’s focus on domestic affairs, and the novel coronavirus pandemic that minimized public activities, the lawmaker explained.

“It appears that the reason Kim chose to attend (an event) at a fertilizer plant in Sunchon as he was resuming activities after 20 days, indicates his emphasis to resolve the food issues and inject confidence on ‘self-reliance,’” the NIS was quoted as saying.

Conjecture about Kim’s health became rampant after he missed an event to mark the country’s most important holiday, the April 15 birthday celebration of his late grandfather Kim Il-sung, the North’s founding father, for the first time since he assumed power in 2011.

His rare absence prompted a whirlwind of rumors, including reports that the North’s leader was dead or in a vegetative state after botched cardiovascular surgery.

After a three-week-hiatus, Kim appeared at an opening ceremony for a fertilizer plant in Sunchon, north of the capital Pyongyang, quashing the widespread health rumors.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the NIS also did not rule out a virus outbreak in North Korea, despite the country insisting it is virus-free.

“While Pyongyang claims it has zero infections, considering active people-to-people exchange with China before the border closure in January, we cannot exclude the possibility of the outbreak in the North,” the NIS said.

The agency added it has not detected any unusual signs that the North resumed the Yongbyon nuclear plant since it ceased operation in late 2018.

“There are no special movements detected in the Punggyeri nuclear test site or Dongchang-ril missile launch site,” it added.