On Thursday, Kim was conspicuously¹ absent from the Supreme² People's Assembly, which is North Korea's parliament attended by officials of the party, the military and various national organizations. A prominent seat remained empty on stage surrounded by North Korea's top brass³. 

 

"We expected to see him at the Supreme People's Assembly, because he had attended that session every time," said Yoo Ho-Yeol, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University in Seoul. "So we are speculating that he might have problems in his health."

 

On Thursday, North Korean state TV referred to Kim, saying, "The wealth and prosperity of our socialism is thanks to the painstaking⁴ efforts of our marshal, who keeps lighting⁵ the path for the people, like the flicker⁶ of a flame, despite suffering from discomfort⁷."

 

The 31-year-old leader's absence has fueled speculation⁸ that Kim has a health problem, as some observers have pointed⁹ to weight gain, as well as a limp when he was seen walking in July.

 

Korea's state-run news agency, KCNA, routinely catalogs Kim's activities and public appearances. A count of KCNA announcements about Kim's public appearances went from 24 events in July to 16 in August. It dwindled¹⁰ to just one event in September. His last listed public appearance was a September 4 concert, which he attended with his wife Ri Sol Ju, according to KCNA.

 

While it's difficult to know what's happening in North Korea, the absence of its leader from public view has given hints in the past.

 

"We had that kind of occasion when Kim Jong Il was seriously sick in 2008," said Yoo.

 

That year, the elder Kim's absence from parades and national events raised questions about the leader's health. US and South Korean intelligence believed that Kim Jong Il had suffered severe health problems and possibly a stroke.

 

Kim died at the age of 69, in December 2011, and his son assumed command.

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