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He still loves smoking (look at an ashtray and a cigarette pack on the table)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shown using a cane for support, re-appeared in state media on Tuesday after a lengthy public absence that had fueled speculation over his health and grip on power in the secretive, nuclear-capable country. Several pictures on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim smiling and gesturing on a visit to a housing development, although there was no indication which day the event took place. He was surrounded by aides and wearing his signature dark buttoned suit, and appeared to be supporting himself with a black walking stick.

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea's official news agency said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance in 40 days.

Just where did the Supreme Leader go? An undisclosed location? Or that great Sun Palace in the sky? Is it gout, or is he out? If we’re grasping at explanations for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s un-expected and un-explained absence over the past month, there can be only two: either he’s indisposed, or he’s deposed. Actually, that’s not true. Considering the grand tradition of un-predictability in the Hermit Kingdom, there are countless other possibilities. The Supreme Leader may have been in a mountainside retreat, composing new condemnations against America’s comedians. Or in an underground bunker, yelling at his nation’s...

Where's Kim-Jong Un? Can you find the North Korean leader in our game Oct 10, 2014 12:22 By Richard Beech With the North Korean leader not having been seen for over a month - can YOU help find him? ...since we last saw Kim-Jong Un. With speculation growing as to the whereabouts of the leader of North Korea, a number of conspiracy theories have emerged. Kim-Jong failed to turn up at a celebration to mark his party's anniversary, and there are claims from North Korea that he is no longer in control of the country. So, where is he?

/begin my excerpts [Exclusive] "Troubles in Endocrine System and Internal Organ(s)," According to a German Doctor Who Treated Kim Jong-un 2014-10-10 German and French doctors, who recently went to N. Korea to treat Kim Jong-un, came back and filed reports on his condition to intelligence agencies of their country, which sent the reports to S. Korean government. Reportedly, he has problems in his legs and his face looked really sick. In particular, problems in his endocrine system and key internal organ(s) are suspected. Here is the exclusive report by correspondent Kim Nam-sung [Report] The government disclosed that European doctors treated...

The mysterious disappearance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un from public view for the last 35 days fueled wide speculation that he was ill or the victim of a possible coup, but a senior U.S. intelligence official calls the rumors false, and a Reuters source insists he’s “in total control.” After weeks of unexplained absences, chatter on Kim’s whereabouts reached a fever pitch after he was conspicuously not on a list of dignitaries at an anniversary celebration of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party Friday. An official state media dispatch listed senior government, military and party officials who paid...

North Korea's mysterious leader Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for 35 days and was not on a list of dignitaries at a celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party on Friday, sparking speculation that the head of one of the world's most secretive countries is ailing or has been removed in a secret coup. There has been rampant speculation that the leader is ill or is no longer in power. Unidentified sources tell South Korean reporters it may be gout, diabetes, or high blood pressure. A source Friday told Sky News that...

Stars and Stripes October 10, 2014 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un apparent no-show at major event By Paul Alexander and Ashley Rowland North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly was a no-show Friday at one of the country’s biggest annual events, further fueling speculation that he is seriously ill or no longer in power. Kim, who took over  the reins of the reclusive communist country nearly three years ago following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, was last seen in public Sept. 3. This is the longest period that he has been out of the public...

<p>Kim Jong Un didn't show up to the anniversary marking his father's election to the Workers' Party on Wednesday. He wasn't at the parliamentary assembly late last month either.</p> <p>On Friday, observers will scrutinize the 69th anniversary celebration of North Korea's Workers' Party for signs of the young leader.</p>

SEOUL: There is nothing wrong with the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a senior North Korean official said during an extremely rare visit to the South, after rumours of a debilitating illness or even a coup in Pyongyang. South Korea's unification minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae, speaking on a television talk show Sunday, quoted Kim Yang-Gon as saying: "There is nothing wrong with the health of Secretary Kim". Kim Yang-Gon, who heads a ruling party department in charge of South Korea-related affairs, visited the South's western port of Incheon Saturday to attend the closing ceremony of the Asian Games, along...

North Korean state media reports also serve to educate local elite who know how to read between the lines. “These are signals but signals only for people in the know,” says Lankov. “I am quite sure the official media reports about his ill health would have been signed off on by the great man himself.” Another possible hint that Kim is not fully incapacitated, as some of the wilder North Korea rumors have it: a leadership shuffle was recently announced in Pyongyang. “I don’t think that would have been authorized without him,” says Lankov. “He may be undergoing some sort...

Rumors of a military coup in North Korea persist as leader Kim Jong-un's prolonged absence from public view continues. Kim has not been seen in public for a month, leading to rumors that a military coup has broken out in North Korea and Kim has been arrested. Other rumors have it that Kim has gout or has suffered a sort of stroke just as his late father, Kim Jong-il, did in 2008. The US is aware of the reports. "I can just say that I have no confirmation of the reports. We've seen them, but we don't have any confirmation,"...

High-level North Korean delegation to attend AG closing ceremony North Korea plans to send a high-ranking delegation to the Incheon Asian Games closing ceremony Saturday, Seoul's Ministry of Unification said. According to official sources, the North informed the South on Friday that it wants to send Hwang Pyong-so, Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yang-gon to the ceremony slated for 6 p.m. Saturday. The three officials plan to arrive via a direct air route from North Korea to Incheon at 10 a.m. Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae is expected to hold talks with the North Korean officials after their arrival. Hwang was recently...

It is impossible to know exactly what is going on in North Korea, but something big has happened. The third generation Kim dynasty heir, Kim Jong-un, has been missing from public sight for a month, and may be ill, dead, or overthrown. There is much speculation, and contradictory reports are circulating, including the assertion that Pyongyang is sealed off, and no one is being permitted to enter or leave.

The North Korean capital has been placed under lockdown, according to sources with Pyongyang, raising new questions about the stability of Kim Jong-un's regime. Quoting sources within North Korea, the respected New Focus International news web site has reported that a ban on new travel passes to leave or enter Pyongyang was introduced on September 27. And while the North Korean authorities have in the past limited access to the capital, the latest restrictions even apply to permanent residents of Pyongyang, who are by definition the elite of the regime. "This sort of action suggests there has either been an...

U.S. doctor visits N. Korea to treat leader Kim's aunt: source SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- A Korean-American cardiologist arrived in North Korea last month to treat the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a source familiar with affairs inside the communist state said Thursday, prompting speculation about the state of her health. Kim Kyong-hui, the current leader's aunt and younger sister of late former leader Kim Jong-il, has been known to have a heart disease, but the doctor's alleged visit could be an indication that she has fallen into critical condition. "An American cardiologist arrived in Pyongyang around...

Kim Jong-un 'Had Surgery on Fractured Ankles' North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had surgery in Pyongyang in mid-September to treat fractures to both ankles and remains in hospital, a source claimed Monday. The source, who recently visited the North, said, "I heard that Kim Jong-un injured his right ankle in June after pushing ahead with on-site visits and ended up fracturing both ankles because he left the injury unattended." The source added Kim had surgery at the Bonghwa Clinic, an exclusive hospital for high-ranking party members, in mid-September and is now recovering there. The source said bodyguards have been posted...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has an unspecified medical problem, state media report, after he failed to appear at a key political event. A report on state television said on Thursday that Mr Kim, 31, was in an "uncomfortable physical condition" but gave no details. Earlier, the leader was absent from a session of the Supreme People's Assembly - North Korea's legislature. Mr Kim has not been seen in public for more than three weeks. His non-appearance at the SPA - to which he was elected in March with 100% of the vote - on Thursday prompted renewed speculation about...

In North Korea, political life revolves around Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Yet Kim appeared to have skipped a high-level governmental meeting Thursday – and no one seems to know quite why. Televised footage of the reopening of North Korea's Supreme People’s Assembly did not show Kim at the meeting, the Associated Press reports. South Korean officials tasked with keeping tabs on the North now believe that it is the first time that Kim has missed a meeting at Pyongyang's parliament since his father died in December 2011. In fact, Kim, usually a focus of North Korean state media, has...