After news about the North Korean leader in a state of comatose surfaced earlier this week, the photos of a healthy Kim Jong Un were released by the nation's state news media.
In the past few days, reports about Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, taking over some of the authority in the hermit kingdom spread due to news that the dictator has become indisposed.
In order to squash the rumors, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) syndicated photos through the Associated Press showing the dictator presiding a meeting of the Worker's Party politburo on Tuesday. Based on the reports, the meeting discussed the measures that would be taken by the country to combat COVID-19.
The images, however, were cannot be independently verified and independent journalists weren't given access to the meeting. However, the state's news agency stated that several defects in the state of emergency against COVID-19 were addressed in the meeting.
As of the moment, North Korea has not yet reported a single confirmed case of the disease that has plagued nations in the entire world. But it can be noted that just last month, Kim Jong Un announced that a possibility that the virus has entered their border exists.
Aside from COVID-19 the meeting also discussed the measures done by the state in dealing with Typhoon Bayi and measures to protect their crops to avoid food shortage. The report also stated that the economy of the hermit kingdom took a major blow due to the border closures amid the pandemic and the damage caused by floods.
Read also: Kim Yo Jong Gets More Powerful in NoKor as Kim Jong-Un Delegates Part of his Authority to Her
Rumors about Kim Jong Un's Health Continue to Circulate
Meanwhile, the health condition of the rogue nation's leader once again made headlines this week after a diplomat from South Korea claimed that he had information about Kim Jong Un being in a comatose.
Late South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung's former aide, Chang Song-min stated that he had intel about the condition of the dictator. Song-min also claimed that Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong was delegated some of his authority while the dictator is not fit.
According to the New York Post, the National Intelligence Service of North Korea stated that while Kim Jong Un is still considered as the nation's "absolute power," some of his authorities are being gradually transferred to his sister. Meanwhile, South Korea's spy agency stated that the delegation of the powers was done in order to help manage several affairs of the state.
Earlier this year, Kim Jong Un's health condition also made headlines after he disappeared from the public for two weeks. There were rumors that he was already dead, while some claimed that a heart surgery gone wrong caused the dictator to become severely ill. Satellite images showing the location of the dictator's train were taken and many assumed that he was kept under medical observation.
The rumors, however, did not last very long as in May photos of Kim Jong Un attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a fertilizer plant were released by the state media.
Related article: Kim Jong Un in Comatose? Kim Yo Jong to Take Over Regime, South Korean Diplomat Says
