北 김정은 20일 만에 공개활동…조선중앙TV 활동 영상 방송<br /><br />North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly reappeared in public for the first time in nearly three weeks.<br />The news comes as speculation continues surrounding his health and his successor in the regime.<br />Lee Kyung-eun has the details.<br />North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has resurfaced in public for the first time in twenty days amid rumors surrounding his health.<br />The North's state-run Korean Central TV broadcast on Saturday that the 36-year-old leader attended a completion ceremony at a newly constructed fertilizer factory in Sunchon on Friday.<br />Earlier in the morning, the state-run news agency released some 20 photos of Kim,...smiling, clapping his hands, and cutting a ribbon at the event.<br />This is Kim's first public appearance since April 11th when he held a meeting with party officials in Pyeongyang.<br />He was not seen in public on April 15th, which is the country's biggest holiday the birthday of his grandfather and the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung.<br />That's when rumors about his health began to swirl,...with unverified news reports saying that Kim was "brain-dead" or "in grave danger" after heart surgery.<br />Or that he may be in quarantine after contracting COVID-19.<br />Along with ending the health rumors, the report has also drawn much attention to Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong.<br />The senior official from the ruling Workers Party was standing right next to the supreme leader at the event, ahead of many higher ranked officials.<br />This suggests that she may be exercising more power than anyone else in the party, given that officials' seats are assigned based on political hierarchy.<br />During Kim Jong-un's 20 day disappearance, there was much speculation that Kim Yo-jong may be the successor to her brother.<br />Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.<br />
