The pictures released by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim in his trademark black suit, smiling broadly as he looked around the factory. Analysts said Kim could not appear in public wearing a mask as it would make him appear vulnerable to the North Korean people. Daily NK, an online media outlet run mostly by North Korean defectors, had reported that Kim was undergoing treatment after a cardiovascular procedure last month. Rachel Lee, a former US government North Korea analyst, told AFP that the past weeks had also shown the "insatiable appetite for news about the North Korean leadership". 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.

Source: Daily Nation May 02, 2020 02:03 UTC