Health boost for Kim Jong Un as North Korean leader pictured without cane

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have recovered from the health problem that has seen him walking with a stick in the last month. Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the state’s ruling Korean Workers Party, has published a photo of the smiling dictator getting along without a cane. The picture shows him walking to a chair at a gathering of battalion commanders and political instructors in Pyongyang. In another photo, he is seen standing and clapping his hands.

The photo dispels the lingering sense of uncertainty that was associated with the cane.

Yoo Ho Yeol, a professor of North Korea studies at Korea University

It comes after Kim disappeared from public view early in September, to resurface almost six weeks later with a walking stick. His lengthy absence triggered a frenzy of speculation about his health and grip on power. There were even suggestions he had been ousted in a coup after he missed two key political events. The speculation was fuelled by state television carrying still photos of him walking with a black cane but not airing matching video footage.

He’s trying to show he can walk without a problem.

Yoo Ho Yeol

Kim Jong-Un Asia-Pacific