North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s non-appearance at a critical national anniversary has fuelled speculation about his health and raised questions over succession plans in the secretive pariah state.
In a highly unusual move, Mr Kim was absent on April 15 from ceremonies marking the birth of Kim Il Sung, the country’s founding leader. It is one of the biggest events of the year in Pyongyang.
Reports in recent days on Daily NK, a South Korea-based online publication, and the US broadcaster CNN suggested that this was because he had undergone urgent heart surgery. The Financial Times has been unable to confirm these reports and officials in Seoul and Beijing have played down speculation that he is ill.
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