First New Photos Of Kim Jong-Un In Public Released Following Death Rumours
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New photos have been released, which claim to show Kim Jong-un making a public appearance for the first time since rumours began circulating of his death. Watch below:
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According to state news agency KCNA, the North Korean dictator attended the unveiling of a new fertiliser plant in the country's capital, Pyongyang.
Though the images have yet to be independently verified, this is the first report of the leader's movements since 11 April.
The news report claimed that the 36-year-old cut the ribbon at the ceremony on Friday (30 April) and that those who attended the event burst out into 'thunderous' cheers of 'hurrah!' for the country's Supreme Leader.
According to reports, Kim, who was there with several of his government officials, stated that he was happy with the new factory and that it represented the progress being made by the country.
Speaking about the new report, US President Donald Trump said: "I'd rather not comment on it yet.
"We'll have something to say about it at the appropriate time."
This comes after a number of reports began circulating the internet that Kim had died.
North Korea had also previously claimed that it had no confirmed cases of Covid-19.
According to The Diplomat, a Korean state media article said: "Officials of the Party and power organs and working people's organisations and those in the fields of public health and anti-epidemic control across the country have boosted the hygienic information service about the worldwide spread of Covid-19 and preventive and treatment measures among the people, so that they should never feel relieved for having no Covid-19 case in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)."
But this claim has been widely disputed by global experts. Jung H. Pak, a former CIA analyst on North Korea, said he believed the country's leader Kim Jong-un was lying about the true state of affairs in order to make the nation's isolation from the rest of the world appear as though it is a strength.
Speaking to Fox News, he said: "It's impossible for North Korea not to have a single case of coronavirus."
General Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea, also cast doubt over the country's claims, pointing to their lack of military activity as an indication that coronavirus had spread to the country.
In a press conference, he said: "It is a closed-off nation, so we can't say emphatically that they have cases, but we're fairly certain they do.
"What I do know is that their armed forces had been fundamentally in a lockdown for about 30 days and only recently have they started routine training again. As one example, they didn't fly an airplane for 24 days."
Featured Image Credit: KCNA
Topics: World News, kim jong-un, North Korea
