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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s disappearance fueled speculation for weeks until the state-run news agency on Saturday reported his return to public life.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim cut a ribbon at a May 1 ceremony for the completion of a fertilizer plant, his first appearance since April 11. Kim was seen in photographs smiling and talking to aides at the ribbon-cutting ceremony as well as touring the plant, which opened in a city about 30 miles north of Pyongyang, the capital.
Rumors about Kim’s health swirled following his absence from the April 15 birthday anniversary of his grandfather, state founder Kim Il Sung, Reuters reported. A South Korean news outlet reported that Kim Jong Un was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure in the weeks he was not seen. At one point, reports focused on satellite images suggesting Kim was in Wonsan, a port city, because a train he uses was stationed there April 21.
Throughout the leader’s mysterious absence, South Korean government officials cautioned against the rumors and cast doubt on the report of a surgery, arguing that the hospital mentioned did not have the capabilities for such an operation.
President Donald Trump, who met Kim three times in 2018 and 2019, tweeted Saturday: “I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!”
Of course, now that Kim has returned, a new rumor alleges the North Korean leader’s “body double,” or lookalike, is who showed up at the fertilizer plant ceremony. TMZ, one of the media organizations now reporting the Kim body double theories, also reported his death April 25.
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