Trump happy when Kim Jong-un reappears
Trump wrote on Twitter that he was pleased with the news that Kim Jong-un reappeared after 20 days of absence.
"Glad to see him back and well," US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on May 2 (morning of May 3, Hanoi time), citing a political science expert's post about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the Sunchon fertilizer factory in northern Pyongyang on May 1.
Earlier, Trump stated at a White House press conference that he "has no comment on this issue" when asked about the information about Kim Jong-un's reappearance, affirming that "he will talk about it at the appropriate time".
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reappears after nearly 3 weeks of absence. |
North Korea's KCNA news agency reported yesterday that Kim Jong-un, his sister Kim Yo-jong and other senior officials attended the inauguration ceremony of the Suchon Fertilizer Plant on May Day. Kim Jong-un walked around the plant, smiled and smoked a cigarette. This was the first time Kim Jong-un appeared in public in nearly three weeks.
Rumors about Kim Jong-un's health arose after he failed to attend the April 15 birthday celebrations of his late father Kim Il-sung. North Korea calls this the Day of the Sun and considers it an important national holiday.
South Korea said on April 26 that Kim Jong-un is “alive and well” and has been staying in Wonsan, a resort in eastern North Korea, since April 13. Some experts say Covid-19 may be the reason Kim Jong-un has limited public appearances.
Kim Jong-un's absence has drawn global attention amid the deadlock in US-North Korea nuclear talks, despite the North Korean leader having met Trump three times. The US president once called the North Korean leader a "friend" and expressed hope that the good relationship between the two would help break the deadlock in denuclearization negotiations.
The North Korean leader has been absent from public view for several long periods. In 2014, Kim Jong-un disappeared for 40 days and did not attend the anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. He reappeared on October 14, 2014, using a cane and inspecting a new housing complex. South Korean intelligence believes he may have had surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle.
