Report: Kim Jong Un Had Cyst Removed From Ankle
Following the absence of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from the public for over a month, a South Korean spy agency has reported that the leader reportedly had surgery on his ankle to remove a cyst.
According to the Yonhap news agency, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told legislators on Tuesday that a cyst had reportedly been found on Kim Jong Un's ankle sometime in May. Foreign doctors were flown into North Korea's capital of Pyongyang to remove the cyst in September or October, and the leader stayed out of the spotlight for over six weeks to recuperate from the surgery.
The NIS also suggested that Kim Jong Un may have taken longer than usual to recover from his ankle surgery due to his weight gain.
The leader's absence from the public spotlight caused international media to come up with a variety of rumors, including the suggestion that Kim Jong Un was suffering from gout, or that he had been overthrown from power by his sister. Even the state-run media outlet KCNA abstained from reporting on Kim Jong Un, although usually does so in great detail.
Kim Jong Un only re-emerged in the public in late September, being photographed carrying a walking stick while he visited multiple places in Pyongyang. At the time, a source close to the North Korean government suggested the leader had injured his leg while leading military exercises with soldiers.
Last week, the United Nations encouraged the International Criminal Court to pursue human rights abuses charges against Kim Jong Un and other leaders of the Asian country. "We stand for the principles of the United Nations and we expect accountability for great crimes before justice. And that is the right of the people of North Korea," Michael Kirby, leader of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea, said in a statement.
