Kim Jong-un Makes Public Appearance After Nearly a Month-Long Absence, Reports Say

A previous public appearance by the North Korean head of state was reported on 22 October, when he visited a cemetery for fallen Chinese soldiers that participated in the 1950-53 Korean War in the capital city Pyongyang. His wife Ri Sol-ju was last spotted at a Lunar New Year event almost 11 months ago.

Kim Jong-un appeared in public for the first time in 25 days, as he headed a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party on Monday, North Korean state media said. Kim discussed "COVID-19 and the state anti-epidemic situation and clarified the tasks for the Party, military, and economic fields to further tighten the emergency anti-epidemic front", the news agency KCNA stated.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the 20th Enlarged Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on 16 November 2020, by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

© REUTERS / KCNA

Kim Jong-un has disappeared from public view several times this year, resulting in speculations about the state of his health. The North Korean leader, however, refuted the rumours by appearing for several events across the country.

Although the DPRK claims to be coronavirus-free, the country closed its borders earlier this year and declared a high alert over the pandemic threat.