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| North Korean leader Kim Jong Un makes public appearance, state media says | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un makes public appearance, state media says |
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| TOKYO — North Korea leader Kim Jong Un visited a fertilizer factory, North Korean state media reported Saturday, marking his first public appearance in three weeks. | TOKYO — North Korea leader Kim Jong Un visited a fertilizer factory, North Korean state media reported Saturday, marking his first public appearance in three weeks. |
| Kim’s absence from the public eye has fueled speculation he might have fallen ill or even died, although it is not unusual for him to be absent for similar periods. His visit was reported by state radio, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. | |
| Kim visited the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory on Friday, Yonhap reported, and was joined by his sister Kim Yo Jong and other aides. | |
| “Amid the celebratory music, our beloved and respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un appeared at the building completion ceremony and cut the ribbon himself,” the North Korea radio report said. | |
| The rumors about Kim’s ill health followed his failure to show up for celebrations of his grandfather’s birthday on April 15, and a report on a South Korean website that he had undergone a cardiovascular operation and was recovering. | |
| But South Korean officials insisted Kim was alive and still in charge of the country. | |
| While Friday’s appearance does not prove whether or not he had suffered ill health, some officials and diplomats believe Kim may have simply been sheltering from the new coronavirus. | |
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