Kim Jong-un is alive and well, South Korea official insists

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un speaks at plenary meeting of 8th central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
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Kim Jong-un is alive and well, South Korea has insisted, amid rumours that the North Korean leader was either dead or seriously ill.

Questions about Kim's health flared after he failed to attend a commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim II Sung, on April 15.

The annual commemoration is North Korea’s most important event, and Kim, 36, had not missed it since inheriting power from his father in late 2011.

South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with the North, also said at a closed-door forum on Sunday that the Government has the intelligence capabilities to say with confidence that there was nothing unusual happening.

The minister said he would not reveal what specific intelligence led to that conclusion, but stressed that it had undergone a complex analysis process.

Moon Chung-in, special adviser on national security for South Korea, also said in an interview with CCN on Sunday that Kim Jong-un is "alive and well".

Mr Chung-in added: "He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected."

Kim's official train was recently spotted at Kim's compound in Wonsan on his country's east coast.

The satellite photos provided by website 38 North and Airbus show the train has been parked there since at least April 21.

The photos do not provide any clarity over Kim’s health, but they do confirm South Korean government intelligence that he is staying outside of the capital, Pyongyang.

US media were among the first to report that the North Korean leader was in "grave danger" after an unspecified surgery.

Satellite images provided by Airbus Defence & Space, analysed by 38 North, gives an overview of the Wonsan complex
AP

Daily NK, citing anonymous sources, also reported that Kim was recovering from heart surgery in the capital Pyongyang and that his condition was improving.

Kim is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, and a strong personality cult has been built around him, his father and grandfather.

The family’s mythical “Paektu” bloodline, named after the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula, is said to give only direct family members the right to rule the nation.

Kim Jong Un waving before boarding his train at Vietnam's Dong Dang railway station in 2019. His last public appearance was on April 11 
Vietnam News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

That makes Kim’s younger sister, senior ruling party official Kim Yo Jong, the most likely candidate to step in if her brother is gravely ill, incapacitated or dies.

But some experts say a collective leadership, which could end the family’s dynastic rule, could also be possible.

A collective leadership would likely be headed by Choe Ryong Hae, North Korea’s ceremonial head of state who officially ranks No.2 in the country’s current power hierarchy, Mr Nam said.

But Mr Choe is still not a Kim family member, and that could raise questions about his legitimacy and put North Korea into deeper political chaos, according to other observers.

Other Kim family members who might take over include Kim Pyong Il, the 65-year-old half-brother of Kim Jong Il, who reportedly returned home in November after decades in Europe as a diplomat.

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