‘No signs’ Kim Jong-un had heart surgery, says South Korea

North Korean leader’s disappearance from public eye sparked speculation he was dead or ‘gravely’ ill

South Korea’s spy agency has claimed there are “no signs” Kim Jong-un had heart surgery when he vanished for weeks — and that his absence was possibly because of a coronavirus outbreak.

The North Korea leader sparked speculation that he was dead or “in grave danger” after a news outlet claimed he was recovering from a heart operation following his disappearance from the public eye for 20 days.

But he appeared to be in good health when he attended the completion of a fertiliser plant on Saturday, in his first reported public appearance since 11 April.

Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told members of the parliamentary intelligence committee on Wednesday that the reports of his ill health and heart surgery were “groundless”, according to Yonhap news agency.

Committee member Kim Byung-kee told reporters after the closed-door meeting: “The NIS assesses that at least he did not get any heart-related procedure or surgery.

“He was normally performing his duties when he was out of the public eye.”

The politician said Kim Jong-un has only made 17 public appearances so far this year, compared with an average of 50 appearances by this time in previous years, which the NIS attributed to a possible coronavirus outbreak in North Korea.

Kim Byung-kee acknowledged his lack of appearances could be down to Covid-19 — despite North Korea maintaining it does not have any cases.

He said: “Kim Jong-un had focused on consolidating internal affairs such as military forces and party-state meetings, and coronavirus concerns have further limited his public activity.

“Though North Korea maintains it has zero cases, it cannot be ruled out that there is an outbreak there given they had active people-to-people exchanges with China before closing the border in late January.”

South Korea’s unification minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees North Korea affairs, said Mr Kim’s public disappearance was not particularly unusual because the country had been taking stringent steps to head off an outbreak.

He said Kim Jong-un had ordered measures to prevent the disease, stabilise prices and strengthen military discipline, as border shutdowns and market closures prompted rises in food prices and panic-buying in the capital Pyongyang.

The NIS said the coronavirus pandemic is likely taking a heavy toll on North Korea’s economy, mainly because of the border closure with China, its biggest trading partner and aid provider.

China accounts for about 90 per cent of North Korea’s external trade flow.

Students wearing face masks have their temperature checked as a precaution against the new coronavirus as their university reopens following the holidays at the Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP)

The trade volume between North Korea and China in the first quarter of this year was $230 million, a 55 per cent decline from the same period last year.

In March, the bilateral trade volume suffered a 91 per cent drop, the NIS was quoted as saying.

This led to the prices of imported foodstuffs such as sugar and seasonings skyrocketing, Kim Byung-Kee quoted the spy agency as saying.

He said the NIS also told lawmakers that residents in Pyongyang, the capital, recently rushed to department stores and other shops to stock up on daily necessities and waited in long lines.

The NIS said prices in North Korea “are being stabilised a little bit” after authorities clamped down on people cornering the market, he said in a televised briefing.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press.