South Korean officials claim they know Kim Jong-un’s location

Top South Korean officials said their government knows the whereabouts of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to a report.

Top South Korean officials have said their government knows the whereabouts of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose absence from public view has prompted a wave of speculation about his health, according to a report.

“The government is aware of Kim Jong-un’s location,” Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said without elaborating when asked during a parliamentary session, Bloomberg News reported.

And when Foreign Minister Kang Kyung was asked separately if Seoul has notified President Trump about the despot’s condition and location, she said the commander-in-chief was in touch with South Korean officials and “should have been notified,” according to the news outlet.

Kang later clarified that Trump was aware of Kim Jong-un’s condition but not his whereabouts.

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During a White House briefing, Trump said he knew how Kim is doing, adding that the American people could find out in the “not-too-distant future.”

“I can’t tell you, exactly — yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can’t talk about it now. I just wish him well,” the president said.

Earlier, North Korean state media published a purported letter from the Hermit Kingdom’s leader in a bid to dispel rumours about his health.

The 36-year-old despot hasn’t been seen publicly since April 11 and missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung.

2014: A man watches a TV news program at the Seoul Railway Station im South Korea, showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un using a cane, reportedly during his first public appearance in five weeks in Pyongyang, North Korea. Picture: Lee Jin-man

Jan. 25, 2020: Kim Jong-un, left, his wife Ri Sol Ju, centre, and his aunt Kim Kyong Hui, third from left, clap during a concert celebrating Lunar New Year's Day in Pyongyang.

His failure to attend the event sparked conflicting reports that he could be in a vegetative state, dead, or — as South Korea says — is absolutely fine and had been staying “in the Wonsan area” on the North’s eastern coastline.

April 11, 2020: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s minister for North Korean affairs suggested that Kim may have missed the celebration due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, not because of an illness.

“It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung’s birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns,” Kim Yeon-chul said at the parliamentary session, Reuters reported.

He added that there were at least two instances since mid-January when Kim was out of sight for nearly 20 days.

“I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation,” he said.

This story was originally published on the New York Post and is republished with permission.