North Korean state media remained silent on Wednesday on the health and whereabouts of leader Kim Jong Un, amid recent speculation that he was gravely ill.
Joe Davies reports.
North Korean state media remained silent on Wednesday (April 22) on the health or whereabouts of leader Kim Jong Un.
On Tuesday (April 21), there was intense international speculation over his health, sparked by media reports he was gravely ill after a cardiovascular procedure.
North Korean media presented a business as usual image, carrying routine reporting of Kim's achievements.
U.S. President Donald Trump said reports about Kim's health had not been confirmed and he didn't put much credence in them.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) US PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: "I can only say this, I wish him well because if he is in the kind of condition that the reports say that the news is saying that would be a, that's a very serious condition, as you know.
But I wish him well.
We've had a good relationship." Speculation about Kim's health first arose due to his absence from the anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founding father, and Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.
His absence from the anniversary worship has been described by a former North Korean deputy ambassador to London as "unprecedented." Daily NK, a website based in the South Korean capital, reported late on Monday (April 20) that Kim, who's believed to be about 36, was hospitalized on April 12, before the cardiovascular procedure.
The story's English version carried a correction on Tuesday (April 21), saying the report was based on a single, unnamed source in North Korea, not multiple as earlier stated.
It said Kim's health had deteriorated since August due to heavy smoking, obesity, and overworking.
Kim Jong Un has no clear successor, meaning any instability could present a major international risk.
On Tuesday (April 21), South Korean and Chinese officials and sources familiar with U.S. intelligence cast doubt on the reports.
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