Reuters quoted informed sources that China has sent a health team of medical experts to North Korea to advise on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid conflicting reports over his health.
Two people said that a delegation of doctors and officials headed by a senior member of the International Communication Department in the Communist Party of China left Beijing for North Korea on Thursday. This administration is the main Chinese body that deals with neighboring North Korea.
Last week, the Seoul-based Daily NK website reported that Kim was recovering after he underwent a heart surgery on April 12. The website published the report, citing an unnamed North Korean source.
South Korean, and Chinese, government officials have earlier questioned credibility of subsequent reports that Kim was in serious condition after the surgery.
The South Korean officials said they had not detected any unusual activity in North Korea.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday downplayed reports published last week that said Kim's condition was serious. "I think the report is not correct," he told reporters, but declined to say whether he was in contact with North Korean officials.
An official with knowledge of US intelligence said Kim was known to have health problems but they had no reason to conclude that he was seriously ill or unable to appear again in the end.
An official familiar with U.S. intelligence said that Kim was known to have health problems but they had no reason to conclude he was seriously ill or unable eventually to reappear in public.
Speculation about Kim’s health first arose due to his absence from the anniversary of the birthday of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.
Days later, Pyongyang media were already silent on the matter and made no mention of leader Kim Jong Un’s whereabouts.
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