North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un hasn't been seen at a public event for
three weeks, including a prominent state meeting, which he has attended every
year since coming to power in late 2011.
Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military
On Thursday, Kim was conspicuously absent
from the Supreme People's Assembly, which is North Korea's parliament attended
by officials of the party, military and various national organizations. A
prominent seat remained empty on stage surrounded by North Korea's top brass.
"We expected to see him at the Supreme
People's Assembly, because he had attended that session every time," said
Yoo Ho-Yeol professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul.
"So we are speculating that he might have problems in his health."
The 31-year-old leader's absence has fueled
speculation that Kim has a health problem, as some observers have pointed to
weight gain as well as a limp when he was seen walking in July.
Korea's state-run news agency, KCNA routinely
catalogs Kim's activities and public appearances. A count of KCNA announcements
about Kim's public appearances went from 24 events in July to 16 in August. It
dwindled to just one event in September. His last listed public appearance was
a September 4th concert, which
he attended with his wife Ri Sol Ju, according to KCNA.
While it's difficult to know what's happening
in North Korea, the absence of its leader from public view has given hints in
the past.
"We had that kind of occasion when Kim
Jong Il was seriously sick in 2008," said Yoo.
That year, the elder Kim's absence from parades
and national events raised questions about the leader's health. U.S. and South
Korean intelligence believed that Kim Jong Il had suffered severe health
problems and possibly a stroke.
Six years later, Kim died at the age of 69,
in December 2011, and his son assumed command.
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