After weeks of intense guesswork about the health of Kim Jong Un, state news agency KCNA on Saturday put a brake on it. The North Korean leader made his first appearance after 20 days amid health rumours.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday that Kim attended a ceremony of the completion of a fertiliser factory in Suncheon, near the capital Pyongyang. With him, other senior officials, including his sister, Kim Yo Jong was also present.

Presence at an event

According to KCNA report, Kim cut a ribbon at the ceremony on Friday and those attending the event “burst into thunderous cheers of ‘hurrah!’ for the Supreme Leader.”

Kim was captured in photographs smiling and talking to officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He also took a tour of the plant. The authenticity of the photos, published on the website of the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, could not be verified.

It is reported that officials of the army, the ruling party and the community who worked on the project, were wearing face masks and standing some distance from the podium where Kim and his aides took part in the ceremony.

The North Korean leader’s health rumours whirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung. This happened for the first time since he took power in 2011.

US President welcomes Kim

US President Donald Trump welcomed Kim’s re-emergence, saying in a Twitter post: “I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!”

Asked about the KCNA report on Kim, U.S. President Donald Trump said: “I’d rather not comment on it yet. We’ll have something to say about it at the appropriate time,” he told reporters at the White House.

Office of South Korean President stated

The office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in who had helped mediate Trump’s first summit with Kim almost two years ago said the appearance confirmed its statements that everything is normal. The North Korea leader had been governing as normal. “Today’s public activity is not anything special, and the office does not make much of it,” the presidential office said. He last made a public appearance on April 11 and was seen attending a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party politburo.

Kim’s physical fitness

As per the State TV footage on Saturday, Kim’s leg movements appeared stiff and jerky. “Preparing desks and chairs on the stage seemed a bit rare for such an outdoor occasion,” Nam Seong-wook, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, said of the ceremony.

“Kim might have some physical conditions that prevent him from standing too long and he needs to be seated after standing up for a while,” he added further.

Long-standing can be a reason he did not attend the anniversary event in April at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where he would have had to stand for at least about an hour.

US diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Russel stated

The pieces of the puzzle of Kim’s disappearance would take time to assemble said the former top US diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Russel.

His reappearance showed authoritative information about his well-being, The whereabouts of a North Korean leader was very closely guarded. The rumours about him needed to be regarded with considerable scepticism, Russel said.

North Korea has not reported any cases of the coronavirus. According to them, it has been taking tough measures to prevent an outbreak. One reason for Kim’s absence has been the suggestion he may have been taking precautions against coronavirus.