North Korean leader Kim recovering from ‘undisclosed’ illness: reports

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un (Screenshot from CNN footage)

MOSCOW — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is recovering from an “undisclosed” illness, South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reported Wednesday, citing the country’s defense minister.

According to the newspaper, Kim is staying north of Pyongyang and has not appeared before the public in the past month.

Last month, the newspaper said that the Korean leader had an ankle fracture surgery performed in mid-September at the Bonghwa Clinic, a medical establishment designated for high-ranking officials.

However, earlier media reports stated that Kim was also suffering from obesity, which along with reported binge drinking, might have caused gout.

This was later denied by a government official, who said that Kim would not have missed the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang just because of gout.

Kim became the leader of North Korea in 2012 succeeding his father, Kim Jong-Il, who died in 2011.

Before becoming supreme leader, he held a number of positions, including Central Military Commission chairman and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army.