It has been quite the roller coaster in foreign relations these past weeks as the status of Kim Jong-un. Reports of the North Korean leader’s poor health and even his rumored death grabbed headlines amid his disappearance from public view in recent weeks. However, Friday saw the reported return of Kim according to North Korean state media, showing the controversial leader at the opening of a new fertilizer plant.
Many people weighed in on the return of the supreme leader of the DPRK on Friday, but the biggest name to address the return came Saturday when Donald Trump tweeted about Kim and his joy over the resurfacing leader’s condition.
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I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well! https://t.co/mIWVeRMnOJ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2020
Trump’s tweet comes after his comments during a press briefing a week ago addressing the rumors of the DPRK leader’s death. Then Trump hinted that he knew information about the leader’s condition but couldn’t publicly share it.
“Kim Jong-un? I can’t tell you exactly. Yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can’t talk about it now,” Trump said to reporters on Monday. “I just wish him well… I hope he’s fine. I do know how he’s doing, relatively speaking. We will see. You will probably be hearing in the not-too-distant future.”
Rumors and reports of Kim Jong-un’s death spread after several stories regarding the leader’s health and his disappearance from public view. It is not the first time Kim has disappeared, leading to rumors during those periods as well, but his health was typically the reason for the walk back behind the curtain for the leader.
There is still no confirmation on Kim’s health issues or verification that the new photos and videos are legitimate. South Korean and U.S. intelligence did dispute the reports of the leader’s death, adding that Kim was “alive and well” despite the earlier reports that he was gravely ill.
This would not be the first time that speculation over the North Korean leader or his father turned out to be misplaced or false. The highly secretive nation is hard to pin down outside of intelligence operations and releases by the regime itself.
Donald Trump has touted his friendship with Chairman Kim after their meetings and correspondence during his presidency. Despite the history between North Korea and the United States, Trump has traded praise and friendly conversations with the controversial leader. This even after threatening to unleash “fire and fury” on DPRK due to persistent nuclear and missile testing.
