The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days on Friday at the completion ceremony of a fertilizer factory on the south road of Heian South, near Pyongyang, Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday.

It was Kim’s first public appearance since April 11, when he presided over a ruling Workers’ Party meeting. 

Speculation about his health swirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country’s most important holiday, for the first time since taking power in 2011.

Conjecture was then fueled after an online Korean media outlet reported that Kim was undergoing treatment after a cardiovascular procedure.

Soon afterwards, CNN reported that Washington was "monitoring intelligence" that Kim was in "grave danger" after undergoing surgery, quoting an anonymous US official.

Amid such reports, the South Korean government denied that there was any "unique trend," in the information that was spreading, and US President Donald Trump pointed out that the CNN report was "not correct." 

JIJI News