Where is Kim Jong Un? North Korean leader not seen in public for 35 days

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made no public appearance in 35 days, leading to renewed concerns about his health. He also skipped the last Politburo meeting held on February 5, where top officials of the country discussed North Korea’s chronic agricultural problems. 

Monday, February 6, was the 35th day of the leader without any public appearance. This comes just ahead of the military parade set to take place this week. 

This is the second-longest absence of the leader from the public eye since 2014, when he had disappeared for 40 days. He had taken shorter breaks in May 2021 and April 2020. 

According to NK News, the Politburo meeting was led by Jo Wong Won, Kim Jong Un’s right-hand man. It was decided in the meeting that a larger plenary meeting will be held in late-February. 

Kim Jong Un has only skipped the Politburo meetings twice before – in June and September last year. 

Pyongyang will celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army with mass parades. With Kim Jong Un’s disappearance for over a month, it remains unclear if he will make an appearance in the parade. 

The parade might be used by the North Korean administration to showcase the latest hardware from Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapons and missile programme. 

The military parade is likely to start late on Tuesday night or Wednesday evening to celebrate the February 8 holiday. 

Meanwhile, local media stated that Kim Jong Un presided over the meeting of the central military commission of the ruling Workers’ Party on Monday. The officials discussed "major military and political tasks" for this year and the "long-term issues concerning the orientation for army building".

Also read: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, struggling with mid-life crises, drinks and cries all-day: Reports