South Korea says North Korea's Kim may be trying to avoid coronavirus

South Korea says North Korea's Kim may be trying to avoid coronavirus

North Korean leader Kim's absence from public ceremonies on the birth anniversary of his grandfather and founder of the country, Kim Il Sung, was unprecedented, and he has not been seen in public since.

South Korea's minister for North Korean affairs said on Tuesday Kim may have missed the holiday due to concerns over the coronavirus, not because he is ill.

North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but given the fact that the country has taken stringent steps to head off an outbreak, Kim's absence from the ceremonies is not particularly unusual, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees North Korea engagement, told lawmakers.

He said there were at least two instances since mid-January where Kim Jong Un was out of sight for nearly 20 days.