Rumors suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is gravely ill, but a North Korean newspaper is outing those rumors with a thank you letter sent by the leader, himself.
On Monday, The Rodong Sinmun media outlet claimed Kim Jong Un wrote the letter to the construction workers working on a tourism project in Wonsan.
“Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has sent his appreciation to the workers who devoted themselves to building the Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone,” the Rodong Sinmun reported.
The letter is reportedly the latest developments about Kim Jong Un’s health, as many have speculated that North Korea’s leader had died or was on the brink of dying.
United States satellite images show what seems to be Kim Jong’s train parked at his Wonsan compound since April 21.
However, the US monitoring website, 38 North, said, “The train’s presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health. Still, it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast.”
Questions concerning Kim Jong’s health gained traction after he missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, the Hermit Kingdom’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
An anonymous source in China told the South Korean newspaper, JoongAng Ilbo, that Kim skipped the birthday celebration because of a possible COVID-19 infection within his security detail.
But, Moon Ching-in, a particular security advisor to South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, said Sunday in an interview with Fox News that Kim is “alive and well.”
Kim Jong was last seen in public April 11 at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party to discuss the COVID-19 threat. Reports are Kim Jong underwent heart surgery the following day.
The North Korean state media also published and a letter from Kim Jong Un that was addressed to the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, congratulating Ramaphosa on their Freedom Day, CNN reports.
However, CNN can not verify the letter as being authentic due to conflicting reports about the leader’s health conditions.
In the letter addressed to the South African President, which is dated April 27, 2020, the North Korean leader expressed his certainty that the two nations’ friendship would unendingly expand and develop, in addition to his reference to Freedom Day, a public holiday celebrated in South Africa on Monday.
