US official says Kim Joung Un in grave danger after surgery

The report came after a South Korean internet news outlet reported that Kim has been receiving medical treatment at a villa in the resort county of Hyangsan, outside of Pyongyang, following a cardiovascular procedure. Speculation has increased when he skipped the celebration of the 108th birthday of his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.

Seoul: The US is looking into intelligence that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is 'in grave danger after a surgery', a media report said on Tuesday.

The presidential Blue House said it couldn’t confirm Kim’s current health. CNN had cited an anonymous US official who said Kim was in “grave danger” after an unspecified surgery. Later, another US official told the same network that the concerns about Kim’s health are credible but the severity is hard to assess.

Later, the South Korean government said Tuesday no unusual activity had been detected in North Korea after unconfirmed reports described leader Kim Jong Un as in a fragile condition after undergoing heart surgery.

A presidential Blue House statement said it had no information about the rumors on Kim's health, before this was backed up by the Foreign Ministry at a news conference.

Speculation often surfaces about North Korea's leadership based on attendance at important state events.

Speculation has increased about what happened to Kim since he skipped an annual visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of the 108th birthday of his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.

Kim was last seen on April 11 in state media reports presiding over a political bureau meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, calling for "strict national countermeasures to thoroughly check the infiltration of the virus".

Kim took over as leader after his father and late leader Kim Jong-il died in late 2011.

(With inputs from IANS)