North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance in nearly three weeks. The country's official media quoted AFP as saying on Saturday. Rumors spread about Kim's illness. There were rumors that he was dead.
According to the North Korean government, Kim attended the opening ceremony of a fertilizer factory in the Sanchang area north of Pyongyang on Friday. There, a picture was published that he was cutting the ribbon. However, his presence could not be verified.
April 15 was the birthday of Kim's grandfather and the founder of North Korea. Kim was absent from the event. The absence of such an important event in the country caused rumors about Kim's health. Rumors spread that Kim had died. The question also arises as to who will be North Korea's next successor after Kim. But South Korea and the United States have said Kim Jong-un is healthy.
In a photo published in North Korea's Radong Sinmun newspaper, Kim is seen wearing her usual black suit. He was accompanied by his sister and close adviser Kim Yoo Jung. There were other senior officials as well. The Korean Central News Agency reported that after seeing Kim, everyone exclaimed 'hurray'.
Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public since the North Korean Workers' Party's politburo meeting on April 11.
Leif Eric Isle, an international researcher at Seoul's Yawah University, said that if the picture of Kim's public appearance was true, then it was important to understand that South Korea was more important than unsupported sources or social media rumors.
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