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US and South Korean spies do not believe that Kim Jong Un is dead, after satellites pictured his train at an elite coastal resort

 

Rumors have been swirling about Kim's health since he missed the April 15 public events celebrating the birth of his grandfather, who founded the regime Kim now presides over.

North Korean state media reported that he attended a military review and government meetings days earlier, but since then his whereabouts have been a mystery. 

On Saturday, he missed North Korea's Military Foundation Day that honors Kim's grandfather, fuelling a fresh wave of speculation. 

38 North said in a statement that the leader's train was photographed at Wonsan on April 21 and April 23. 

"The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast," the 38 North report said.

A senior Pentagon official told Newsweek that Kim's absence from public events and the presence of the train at the resort lent credibility to rumors he was ill. On Friday. Reuters reported that China had dispatched a group of doctors to North Korea to advise on Kim's health. 

The news agency said it was "unable to immediately determine what the trip by the Chinese team signaled in terms of Kim's health."

 

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