Trump 'glad' Kim Jong-un 'is back, and well'
US-NORTH KOREA RELATIONS. US President Donald Trump meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. File photo by Saul Loeb/AFP
WASHINGTON, United States – United States President Donald Trump said Saturday, May 2, he was "glad" about the reappearance of Kim Jong-un and that the North Korea leader is apparently healthy.
"I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!" Trump tweeted, following Kim's first public appearance in nearly 3 weeks after intense speculation that he was seriously ill or possibly dead. (READ: FALSE: Video of Kim Jong Un's funeral)
North Korean state television showed Kim walking, smiling broadly, and smoking a cigarette at what the North said was the opening of a fertilizer factory on Friday, May 1, in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang.
Rumors about Kim's health have been swirling since his conspicuous no-show at April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather, the North's founder – the most important day in the country's political calendar.
His absence triggered a series of fevered rumors and unconfirmed reports over his condition.
Kim's disappearance from public view came as Pyongyang's talks with Washington over the North's nuclear arsenal are at a standstill, despite 3 meetings between Kim and Trump.
If Kim had been incapacitated or dead, it would have increased uncertainty over the process. (READ: Why North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health matters)
Trump had downplayed reports of Kim's poor health and possible demise. – Rappler.com
