Amid conflicting reports on the health of Kim Jong-Un , a new report from South Korean media claims that he was seen walking at a popular beach resort — and not on his death bed, as other outlets have claimed.
Citing reports from South Korean media, Australia’s 7 News reported that Kim was seen in the port city of Wonsan, on the country’s east coast. The report claimed that the North Korean leader had traveled there by a private train and was seen walking around tourist areas and inspecting construction taking place there.
The report claimed that Kim left the North Korean capital of Pyongyang after several people close to him had tested positive for the coronavirus.
There have been widely varying reports on the health of Kim, sparked by a report from American media outlets this week that he was in “grave” health following a cardiovascular procedure. That was disputed by other media outlets and by President Donald Trump, who said he did not believe the North Korean leader was in such a dire condition.
Trump claimed that the reports were citing old information, adding that he hoped the reports were not correct and wished the North Korean leader well.
There had already been speculation about Kim’s health after he was not present at an April 15 ceremony celebrating the birthday of his grandfather, the founding father of North Korea. Kim was also not present for a military exercise that accompanied the ceremony, with reports noting that he rarely misses these events.
Breaking: The US is monitoring intelligence that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s health is in grave danger following a surgery, a US official with direct knowledge tells me.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 21, 2020
As The Inquisitr reported, the new report claiming Kim was seen walking at a beach resort and appeared healthy contradicted reports from Japanese media that he was left in a vegetative state after the surgical procedure last week. The Japanese media company Shukan Gendai reported that Kim had fallen seriously ill during a trip to the countryside. Doctors reportedly rushed Kim to a hospital while offering either a cardiac massage or CPR, but the report claimed that his health has not improved.
The contradicting reports on Kim’s health have been fueled in part by the secrecy within the North Korean government, which exerts total control over the country’s media and has been notoriously tight-lipped on internal matters, especially the health of its leaders. North Korea has also been restrictive with information about the coronavirus, claiming there were no cases reported in the country.
The North Korean government had not made any official statement on the health of Kim Jong-Un.
