Death Rumors Dismissed; Kim Jong Un Makes Public Appearance ... Shows Up at Military Event in Pyongyang

[Financial News]   Kim Jong Un, chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, who had been the subject of death rumors, appeared at a large-scale military event and demonstrated that he was in good health. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) had reported to the Intelligence Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea on the 23rd that the rumors of Kim Jong Un's death were false.
KCNA reported on the 24th that Kim Jong Un had held the 3rd Conference of Battalion Commanders of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on the 22nd and 23rd. It also released photos as evidence to show that Kim had no health problems. Kim appeared alongside numerous North Korean soldiers, showing that the photos were not staged.
Attendees included Pak Jong Chon, vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Military Commission; Defense Minister Kim Sung-gi; Yu Gwang-u, first deputy director of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau; and army Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong-gil, as well as battalion commanders and commanders of various military and political institutions.
Addressing military officials, Kim stressed, "The basic spirit of the 3rd Conference of Battalion Commanders is to build the strongest army by cultivating the strongest battalions and to press ahead with a military revolution of our own."
After Kim's speech, Defense Minister Kim Sung-gi delivered a report, videos featuring battalion commanders' combat experience were shown, and Party and state commendations were presented to exemplary battalion commanders. No signs of health problems were observed in Kim during the proceedings.
Meanwhile, in a recent briefing to the Intelligence Committee on current issues, the NIS explained, "Kim Jong Un is severely obese, weighing in the 140-kilogram range, and is at high risk for cardiovascular disease. However, he performs physical activities without difficulty, such as running up stairs during an inspection of a destroyer, and, with a dedicated medical team closely monitoring him, we assess that there are no signs of health problems."



[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter