Kim Jong Un's photos are missing from North Korean media which is unusually silent about where the leader is
North Korean state media, on April 22, appeared unusually silent on its supreme leader Kim Jong Un's health and whereabouts at a time when there is global speculation rife over his health. Recent reports have stated that the North Korean dictator is gravely ill following cardiovascular surgery.
Initial reports of Kim's health status emerged from South Korean media, which first reported it on April 12, saying that Kim had undergone a cardiovascular system procedure in North Pyongyang because of "excessive smoking, obesity and overworking," and was recuperating at a villa in the region.
However, officials from South Korea, China, and sources close to US intelligence have expressed uncertainty over how authentic the reports of Kim's ill health are. The White House, in a recent statement, said that it was closely monitoring the matter.
The main headlines from North Korea's state news agency, KCNA, on Wednesday, April 22, included pieces on sports equipment, mulberry picking, and a meeting in Bangladesh to study North Korea's "juche" or self-reliance ideology. However, there were no reports on Kim's whereabouts.
Kim's health came under scrutiny after he gave a miss to an annual visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun for the 108th birthday of his late grandfather, state founder Kim Il-sung, last week, on April 15.
A US government source who had previously played down the reports of Kim's illness, however, on Wednesday, April 22, said that the situation was now being closely monitored.
"It does look like something is going on, based on the repeated absences of last week," said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Korea Risk Group, which monitors North Korea.
"A health issue seems to be the most logical explanation for all this, but whether or not it's cardiac-related seems to be too early to tell," Reuters reported.
Official media has however continued to report the sending of routine diplomatic letters by Kim, and KCNA said he sent a reply on April 22 to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, thanking him for a message to mark the birthday of the North Korean leader's grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
A former North Korean deputy ambassador to Britain who defected to South Korea in 2016, Thae Yong-ho, told the outlet that it was unusual for the Pyongyang state media to remain silent considering it has been quick to dispel questions about the status of its leadership in the past.
An official with the Ministry of Unification in South Korea on Thursday, April 24, said that the absence of his recent pictures from state media was unusual but more time was needed to see what is going on.
"It is unusual that Kim did not attend the tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, but we need more time to see what is going on," the official said. "When there were rumors that Kim Il-sung had been shot in 1986, North Korea showed images of him on state media instead of directly responding to the speculations. North Korea has never made an official response to such rumors on the death of its leader."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also released a statement over the issue of Kim's health during a press briefing, saying: "We're watching closely what's taking place there."