'Kim Jong Un is alive and well,' South Korean official asserts

South Korean officials are refuting the idea that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill or dead as rumors about his health continue to spread.
After Kim's unusual absence from the commemoration of his grandfather's birthday on April 15, CNN reported last week that the U.S. is monitoring intelligence that he is "in grave danger after undergoing a previous surgery," although The Washington Post reports that U.S. and South Korean intelligence services "remain skeptical" that he's dead or gravely ill. Over the weekend, satellite imagery showed what's believed to be a train belonging to Kim in Wonsan.
South Korea had previously said it's detected "no unusual signs" supporting reports about Kim's health, and Moon Chung-in, foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, now tells CNN, "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."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Reuters reports that Yoon Sang-hyun, chairman of the foreign and unification committee in South Korea's National Assembly, did say Monday, "There has not been any report showing he's making policy decisions as usual since April 11, which leads us to assume that he is either sick or being isolated because of coronavirus concerns." But South Korea's unification minister, Kim Yeon-chul, also said on Sunday, "Our government has enough information-gathering capabilities to say confidently that there is nothing unusual" about Kim's health, The New York Times reports. The Times notes that for a senior South Korean official to be publicly disputing reports about North Korea's leadership is "highly unusual."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US