'Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery,' South Korea media reports

From South Korea's Cheongwadae, the executive office and official residence of the Republic of Korea's head of state, a cryptic statement about North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's recent absence from public life.

'Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery.'

Speculation ranged from coronavirus to surgery to death.

From South Korea's Yonhap News Agency:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery, a presidential official said Sunday, flatly denying speculation over Kim's health.

"There were media reports speculating about Chairman Kim's surgery, citing a change in the way he walks," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters, saying the presidential office judges this not to be true.

When asked whether the North Korean leader did not even go through a relatively moderate medical procedure, the official replied yes.

The official, who asked not to be named, however, refused to unveil the grounds that this judgment was made upon.

[IMAGE: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) cuts a ribbon for the completion of a fertilizer factory in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on May 2, 2020.]