North Korea’s Kim did not have surgery, South says, as shots fired at DMZ

After reports emerged of the 3rd May altercation between North Korea and South Korea, a South Korean government official refuted rumors regarding Kim Jong-un’s ill health and consequent surgery. 

The official refused to give any reasons for this turn from earlier statements. He claimed that the North Korean leader did not undergo any surgery in the last past weeks of absence from public life. He added that speculations regarding Kim Jong-un’s leg problem were false.

The official denied revealing his identity. 

South Korea Claims, No Issue With Kim’s Health

The crossfire between the two Koreas took place early in the morning, just a day after the North Korean leader was sighted after nearly three weeks of absence. 

South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff detailed the press regarding the event. According to him, two shots were fired at a South Korean post guard from across the DMZ. 

The General also added that the firing did not seem like a planned move to provoke. 

No severe damage or injury has been reported. 

International speculations regarding Kim Jong-un’s health had intensified over the last couple of weeks. The rumors were tarnished on May 2nd when North Korea’s national media, Rodong Sinmun, released pictures of Kim attending the opening of plant fertilizer. 

Kim Jong-un was seen healthy, smiling, and conversing with officials around him at the ceremony. 

The authenticity of the photographs published has not yet been verified. 

North Korea has been generally considered a recluse since the country is closed to any international relations. But diplomatic relations between North Korea and the United States had been progressing late last year, but since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the progress remains stagnant. 

U.N. Command, led by the United States, has volunteered to coordinate with South Korea’s JCS to oversee the tense affair in the Demilitarised Zone. 

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