SOUTH Korea says it knows exactly where missing Kim Jong-un is - claiming he is on the run from coronavirus.
Speculation over the welfare of the secretive North Korean leader has been mounting for days but officials in his rogue state have kept silent.
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Now the South's unification minister Kim Yeon-chul has revealed his "government is aware of Kim Jong-un's location."
Although he did not say where the despot was, he did say he believed he is dodging the pandemic rumoured to be spreading through Pyongyang.
"It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il-sung’s birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus," he told a parliamentary hearing.
He then revealed there have been at least two instances since mid-January where Kim has gone missing for nearly 20 days, reports Bloomberg.
"I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation," he added.
Over the past week there have been conflicting reports surrounding the portly dictator's health and whereabouts:
The Sun Online has already told how it was reported Kim had fled to an exclusive beach resort after people around him tested positive for Covid-19.
The paranoid dictator is said to have fled the capital Pyongyang on his private train and headed to Wonsan-Kalma peninsula where he has a private villa compound.
Kim, who is believed to be 36, opted to head to the Wonsan-Kalma peninsula, on the east coast of the country, after members of his inner circle fell ill, Korean outlet Ichannela reported.
Japanese newspaper The Sansei suggested that Kim had fled Pyongyang because of the killer virus spreading in the densely populated city.
Ultra-secretive North Korea has said there has not been a single virus case on its territory, but the claim has been questioned by many outside experts.
South Korea has been insisting for days that Kim is "alive and well" despite escalating rumours and reports of his demise.
Today a high-level North Korean defector said he believes Kim is likely to be ill - but only a handful of people will know the truth.
Thae Yong-ho - one of Kim's former diplomats - told CNN his absence from celebrations marking the birth of his grandfather on April 15 prove something must be wrong with him.
"Kim Jong-un is not only the leader of North Korea, but he is the grandson of Kim Il-sung ... to North Korean eyes it is really abnormal," said Thae, of Kim's absence from official events.
"I'm not quite sure whether he really had some surgery or whatever, but one thing is clear... he cannot stand up by himself or walk properly."
Suspicions over Kim's welfare were sparked when he was suspiciously absent from the national birthday celebrations of his late granddad, known as the Day of the Sun.
Chinese journalist Shijian Xingzou said she had it from a “very solid source” told her the North Korean leader had died.
She has 15 million followers on Chinese social media site Weibo, and she is also the niece of one of the the country's foreign ministers.
Separately, a Japanese media outlet claimed Kim was in a “vegetative state” after undergoing heart surgery.
Pictures released by North Korea watchers 38North show what is believed to be Kim's private armoured train parked near the resort of Wonsan.
North Korean defectors have also dismissed the ongoing rumours of Kim's death.
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Joo Sung-ha, a defector turned journalist, said in a Facebook post reported by the New York Times it was reasonable to believe Kim had health problems.
However, he wrote he had zero trust in any of the reports as information about Kim's health is such a closely guarded secret.
It is speculated his sister Kim Yo-jong could be next in line after him if he was to be dead.
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiUGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXN1bi5jby51ay9uZXdzLzExNTAwODY3L3dlLWtub3ctd2hlcmUta2ltLWpvbmctdW4taXMtc291dGgta29yZWEv0gFUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlc3VuLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvMTE1MDA4Njcvd2Uta25vdy13aGVyZS1raW0tam9uZy11bi1pcy1zb3V0aC1rb3JlYS9hbXAv?oc=5
2020-04-28 17:58:54Z
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