North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the completion of a fertiliser plant, together with his younger sister Kim Yo Jong, in a region north of the capital, Pyongyang. Daily NK, an online media outlet run mostly by North Korean defectors, reported that Kim was undergoing treatment after a cardiovascular procedure last month. "Unlike the other top officials in the North Korean regime, Kim Jong-un cannot appear in public wearing a mask, because he cannot be allowed to appear vulnerable to the North Korean people," said Balbina Hwang, a visiting professor at Georgetown University. Kim's father and predecessor had been dead for two days before anyone outside the innermost circles of North Korean leadership was any the wiser. In 2014, Kim Jong-un dropped out of sight for nearly six weeks before reappearing with a cane.

Source: The Standard May 02, 2020 04:30 UTC