Kim Jong-un 'speaks out' amid death claims, according to North Korean reports

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is said to have undergone heart surgery on April 12 and there has been wild speculation over his health with conflicting reports claiming he is dead, in a vegetative state or "alive and added

Kim Jong-un has sent a special thank you message to builders who have been working on a tourism project in a seaside resort, a state newspaper claims.

The report in Rodong Sinmun comes amid wild speculation over the health of the North Korean leader, who is said to have undergone heart surgery on April 12. State media reported that Kim had thanked workers on the project in the city of Wonsan, where a train believed to be his has been spotted in satellite images amid unverified reports that he is either dead, in a vegetative state or "alive and well". Kim's whereabouts and the status of his health remain a mystery as he has not been seen in state media reports since April 11, the day before he reportedly had the operation.

The only thing that is certain is no-one knows for sure what is happening inside North Korea. Any claims about Kim or the country's activities are almost impossible to verify given Pyongyang's secrecy and isolation from the rest of the world. Kim has previously been pictured touring the Wonsan-Kalma construction project, which was supposed to finish in April 2019. Speculation erupted after Kim missed an annual birthday celebration for his late grandfather - Kim Il-sung, the country's founder - on April 15.

It was held three days after Kim Jong-un is reported to have undergone heart surgery. State media last reported on his whereabouts and shared a photo of him said to have been taken when he oversaw a Politburo meeting on April 11.

While Kim was out of public view, a source inside North Korea told Seoul-based website Daily NK, which is run by defectors, that the leader had undergone heart surgery at a hospital reserved exclusively for his family on April 12. Kim's condition was considered stable following the operation and he was recovering at a villa while doctors continued to monitor him, the source added

But since that report there have been unconfirmed claims that he has died or is in a vegetative state. State media has so far said nothing about Kim being absent or anything about his health. A South Korean newspaper, JoonAng Ilbo, quoted a Chinese official who said this weekend: "Kim is alive and well."

South Korea has said it has no reason to believe the reports that Kim is dead or on the brink of death. Moon Chung-in, a foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told CNN on Sunday that the North Korean leader is still alive. He added: "Our government position is firm. Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected."

Source : www.mirror.co.uk BY Chris KITCHING

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