Kim Jong-un: North Korean leader 'recovering from ankle surgery'

South Korea newspaper claims Kim fractured both ankles

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun at midnight on Tuesday on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the demise of President Kim Il Sung in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Py (Reuters/KCNA)

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader who has mysteriously been missing from the public eye for almost a month, sparking rumors covering every possibility from a stroke to a coup d’etat, is merely recovering from ankle surgery, a South Korean newspaper has reported.

Kim had fractured both of his ankles and had surgery in Pyongyang in the middle of September to treat them, the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s largest newspaper, reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source.

“I heard that Kim Jong Un injured his right ankle in June after pushing ahead with on-site visits and ended up fracturing both ankles because he left the injury unattended,” the source was quoted as saying, adding that he had the operation at the Bonghwa Clinic, an exclusive hospital for high-ranking party members.

Such is the fascination with North Korea, the world’s most impenetrable country, that rumors spread like wildfire. But they are almost always impossible to verify.

Nevertheless, it is true that Kim has become noticeably more rotund since he took over the leadership of North Korea from his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011. He was pictured limping in July during a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of his grandfather, former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, causing speculation about his health.

But the gossip mill started up again last week when Kim, the third-generation leader of North Korea, missed a regular session of the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang. He has not been seen in public since 3 September, when he attended a concert with his wife. It went into overdrive when the state-run Korean Central TV said the “Great Successor,” as he is known, was in an “indisposed condition.”

“Despite some discomfort, our Marshal continues to come out and lead the people,” said the narrator of a documentary called “Improving the Lives of the People,” showing footage of Kim limping through the Taedonggang Tile Factory last month. It aired just before the session of the assembly, North Korea’s quasi-parliament, was broadcast, the Daily NK Web site reported.

With Kim shown carting around heavy things, the narrator continued: “His whole body is drenched in sweat, but he does not stop working hard, instead showing concern for the health of the other workers.”

Separately, the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the Workers’ Party, recently reported that Kim had “labored on,” visiting various facilities braving the hot summer weather.

Outside commentators have guessed that Kim has gout, which runs in the family, or has been drinking and eating too much. Diabetes and high blood pressure have also been put forward as possible causes of his absence.

Weibo, China's version of Twitter, went crazy this week with reports that Jo Myong Rok, a North Korean vice marshal who died four years ago, had overthrown Kim in a coup and sent his lieutenants to South Korea for negotiations. Talk spread so quickly that the Global Times, one of China’s official papers, ran a commentary Monday titled “For those who make up rumors of coup in North Korea, is it so funny?"

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