President Trump welcomed the news of Kim Jong-un’s public appearance at an opening ceremony of a new plant, following weeks of rumors about the North Korean leader’s health, fueled in part by Trump’s own vague statements.
US President Donald Trump, who has been asked about Kim by reporters on a near-daily basis recently (and who dropped some cryptic remarks, like saying he had “a very good idea” about Kim’s condition but could not “talk about it”) welcomed his “friend’s” reappearance in public.
I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well! https://t.co/mIWVeRMnOJ
North Korean state media released photos and video of the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, opening a new fertilizer plant on Saturday. Said to have been shot on May 1, the footage shows a smiling Kim cutting the red ribbon, accompanied by workers from the plant and other officials, including his sister, Kim Yo-jong.
Long time no see! #NorthKorea’s #Kim re-emerge in public amid rumors of deathMORE: https://t.co/K98DXDayWTpic.twitter.com/tZvGtTiOtj
Rumors of Kim’s illness and even death by a variety of causes – ranging from botched heart surgery to a mishap during a missile test – were actively spread by Western media, while lacking any solid proof and backed only with accounts from various ‘intelligence’ and ‘defector’ sources. They were triggered by the fact that Kim missed the celebrations of his late grandfather’s birthday amid the coronavirus pandemic, and North Korean media published no new footage of Kim since April 12.
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