北 김정은 20일 만에 공개활동…조선중앙TV 활동 영상 방송

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly reappeared in public for the first time in nearly three weeks.
The news comes as speculation continues surrounding his health and his successor in the regime.
Lee Kyung-eun has the details.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has resurfaced in public for the first time in twenty days amid rumors surrounding his health.
The North's state-run Korean Central TV broadcast on Saturday that the 36-year-old leader attended a completion ceremony at a newly constructed fertilizer factory in Sunchon on Friday.
Earlier in the morning, the state-run news agency released some 20 photos of Kim,...smiling, clapping his hands, and cutting a ribbon at the event.
This is Kim's first public appearance since April 11th when he held a meeting with party officials in Pyeongyang.
He was not seen in public on April 15th, which is the country's biggest holiday the birthday of his grandfather and the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung.
That's when rumors about his health began to swirl,...with unverified news reports saying that Kim was "brain-dead" or "in grave danger" after heart surgery.
Or that he may be in quarantine after contracting COVID-19.
Along with ending the health rumors, the report has also drawn much attention to Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong.
The senior official from the ruling Workers Party was standing right next to the supreme leader at the event, ahead of many higher ranked officials.
This suggests that she may be exercising more power than anyone else in the party, given that officials' seats are assigned based on political hierarchy.
During Kim Jong-un's 20 day disappearance, there was much speculation that Kim Yo-jong may be the successor to her brother.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.