Putting all speculation to rest, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday made a public appearance after nearly 3 weeks.
His absence had the media speculating whether he was alive or not.
Kim inaugurated a fertilizer factory in Sunchon near the capital Pyongyang.
The Korean Central news agency reported that “all the participants broke into thunderous cheers of ‘hurrah!'” when Kim appeared at Friday’s event.
During the inaugural, Kim said his grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il “would be greatly pleased if they heard the news that the modern phosphatic fertilizer factory has been built.”
Along with senior officials, his sister and close adviser, Kim Yo Jong was also present. However, photos from the ceremony were not immediately released.
Kim’s absence from his grandfather and North Korea’s founder’s birthday on April 15 led to concerns over his health.
He was last seen presiding over a Workers’ Party politburo meeting on April 11.
Daily NK, a media site run by North Korean defectors, reported that Kim had undergone cardiovascular surgery. CNN reported that the supreme leader was in “grave danger” health-wise. Some sources even speculated that Kim is dead. However, Moon Chung-in, South Korea’s top security advisor said last week that Kim was “alive and well” and was staying in Wonsan, a resort town in the east of North Korea.
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