South Korea’s minister for North Korean affairs, Kim Yeon-chul, said on Tuesday that Kim Jong-un may have stayed out of the public eye to protect himself from COVID-19, not because he is ill.
An authoritative source familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting said on Monday that it was entirely possible Kim Jong-un had disappeared from public view to avoid exposure to COVID-19, adding that the sighting of his presidential train in the coastal resort area of Wonsan did suggest he may be there or have been there recently.