Kim Jong Un goes missing ahead of military parade: sparking health rumors

Kim Jong Un has not been seen in public for 35 days ahead of a mass parade in Pyongyang this week which will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the North Korean military.

This comes as the dictator reportedly skipped a Politburo meeting where the country’s agricultural issues were to be discussed, according to state media.

It was only the third time Kim has ever done so, with the other occasions coming in June and September of last year.

Earlier this month a new North Korean propaganda film looking back on last year’s ‘worst-ever hardships’ appeared to show their authoritarian leader limping as he walked down a flight of stairs.

This latest extended period out of the public eye has sparked fresh concerns over Kim’s health and a potential successor. Kim’s 35 day absence from the public matches another period of non-presence at the end of 2021, a state media site reported.

The leader is still, however, expected to attend the nation’s huge military parade this week, which could be held alternatively as early as Tuesday.

According to satellite imagery from the US-based monitoring site 38 North, preparations for celebrating the foundation of the Korean People’s Army have been taking place in freezing conditions since January.

Military aircrafts have been spotted flying at low altitude at night in central Pyongyang.

Recent public celebrations have been held in darkness in North Korea as reports of severe food shortages have come in.

The nation has also had to deal recently with the collapse of their uranium mine which feeds North Korea’s nukes, with the scale of the disaster visible from space.