朝鲜最高领导人金正恩周六又错过了一个国家假日，这加剧了关于他健康状况的谣言和报道。但是，美国情报部门没有发现任何异常军事活动的迹象，表明有什么不妥。
一名五角大楼高级官员告诉记者:“西太平洋和亚洲地区的军队，包括我们伙伴国家的军队，仍然处于符合历史标准的战备状态。”新闻周刊因为他们无权就此事发表意见。
这位官员补充道:“我们没有观察到任何迹象，也没有收到任何额外信息来对朝鲜领导层的状况或金正恩的健康状况做出结论性评估。”。“我们将继续监控局势。”
但是金正恩，被认为是36岁，通常是他的社会中心，仍然是周六无处可去因为他的国家纪念军事基金会日。史汀生中心的38个朝鲜监视器共享的卫星图像显示，最近几天，一列大约820英尺长的火车出现在朝鲜东部沿海城市元山的国家元首官邸。
这位最高领导人自从两周前被严密控制的媒体公布了他参加空中演习和主持执政的朝鲜劳动党中央委员会政治局会议的照片后，就没有公开露面。这位官员告诉记者，几天后，他未能出现在纪念他的祖父、国家创始人金日成的孙节庆典上，这首先引发了人们对他健康状况的猜测新闻周刊可能不是没有根据的。
这位官员说:“由于火车的存在和他没有参加两个重大事件，所以有确凿的证据报告说，KJU要么健康状况严重，要么可能已经死亡。”。
这位官员补充称:“由于他在朝鲜被视为神，他的死亡将立即引发全国性的迹象，因此政府有可能推迟宣布，以便让一切就绪，维护全国的安全。”。
已联系，请评论新闻周刊一名国防部发言人表示，五角大楼“没有关于金正恩的信息”可以分享。这位发言人说:“我们继续保持‘今夜战斗’的高度戒备状态和强大的联合防御态势，以保护韩国免受任何威胁或对手的攻击。”。
4月12日，朝鲜中央通讯社分享了这张照片，照片中，朝鲜最高领导人金正恩与官员们并肩走在朝鲜人民军空军和防空部队西师的战机中间。几天后，在太阳日前夕的演习中，并没有报道金正日的出现。
对外部媒体的匿名消息来源助长了金正恩政府的谣言。朝鲜日报与美国国会资助的智库以及其他机构有联系的一家韩国网站援引朝鲜一名匿名人士周一的报道称，金正日接受了心脏手术，目前正在明眼山医院附近的一栋家庭别墅中接受治疗。
同一天晚些时候，美国有线电视新闻网援引一名美国官员的话说，情报部门正在监控金正日，在所谓的程序之后，他处于严重的危险之中。
周二，新闻周刊引用两名美国高级情报官员报告说，金正恩最后的生命证据是在4月18日，但该国武装部队的地位没有重大变化。一名官员称这是“最大的迹象”，表明这个与世隔绝的军事化国家可能正在发生一些重大事件，从技术上讲，自20世纪50年代华盛顿和首尔发生冲突以来，两国仍在交战。
据路透社报道，中国医生已被派去为金正日的健康提供建议，而香港卫星电视也报道了他的死讯，新闻周刊再次发现没有确凿的证据引用一名继续监视局势的五角大楼高级官员的话。
迈克尔·马登是一位密切关注朝鲜事务的专家，他管理着38个朝鲜分支机构的朝鲜领导人观察博客，他说，不寻常的军事活动的缺乏使人们对金正恩之死的报道产生了怀疑。
“这个国家或其周围没有任何运动。“如果他踢了桶，会有什么东西被观察到，”马登告诉新闻周刊。
韩国也一直公开表示怀疑，不愿透露姓名的官员告诉韩联社，在世界上戒备最森严的边界以北，没有出现任何异常情况，而白宫也没有报告朝鲜或金正恩的状况出现异常趋势。中国和俄罗斯官员对媒体报道提出质疑，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)也是如此。特朗普是首位会见朝鲜统治者的在任美国领导人。
奥巴马总统在周四的新闻发布会上表示，他认为美国有线电视新闻网关于金正恩健康状况的报道是“不正确的”，但拒绝提供有关他最近与朝鲜接触的细节。
特朗普在周四的新闻发布会上告诉记者，“我们和朝鲜的关系很好，尽可能好。”。“我的意思是我们与朝鲜有着良好的关系。我和金正恩关系很好，我希望他没事”
特朗普和金正恩最初在2017年激烈的一年中一直不和，但在接下来的一年中发生了逆转，在三次高调会议和互致奉承信中建立了前所未有的关系——所有这些都是以无核化促进和平协议的名义进行的，该协议尚未得到体现。缺乏进展最终削弱了本已脆弱的美朝关系，金正恩方面在1月份威胁称，将在年底最后期限过后推出一种“新战略武器”，但没有达成任何协议。
4月22日，戴着口罩的学生们在平壤的平壤医科大学参加了一个关于针对COVID-19新型冠状病毒疾病的预防措施的讲座。在最高领导人金正恩缺席的情况下，朝鲜的日常生活似乎照常进行，但旨在防止冠状病毒大流行蔓延的严格公共卫生措施除外，当局称这一措施尚未传到朝鲜。
然而，由于金正恩失踪，外交和安全问题仍然不确定。对朝鲜来说，权力移交似乎是一个生死攸关的问题。自1948年朝鲜建国以来，这个国家一直由三代领导人统治。近一天半后，金日成的死讯被宣布，当局等了两天多才透露金正日已经去世。
然而，两人都有几年前建立的继承人。尽管外界媒体报道了潜在的后代，但金正恩和妻子李素珠没有被官方承认有孩子。他的哥哥金正哲仍然不在聚光灯下，而他的妹妹金正哲上升了朝鲜高度等级化和家长制的政治体系。
美国国务卿迈克·庞贝在周四接受福克斯新闻采访时谈到了被许多人描述为朝鲜最有权力的女性金正云。
“嗯，我的确有机会见过她几次，但挑战依然如故。目标保持不变，”庞贝说。“无论谁领导朝鲜，我们都希望他们放弃核计划，我们希望他们加入国际联盟，我们希望朝鲜人民有一个更加光明的未来。但是他们必须去核化，我们必须以一种我们可以验证的方式去核化。不管谁领导朝鲜，这都是事实。”
其他备受关注的朝鲜人包括总理金在龙。朝鲜内阁负责人周五进行了各种现场视察，为植树提供指导，并似乎斥责矿工抱怨恶劣的条件和设备。
与此同时，这位最高领导人仅在过去一周与古巴和叙利亚总统交换信息的报道中出现收到花篮这是他去年访问俄罗斯的周年纪念日。
周六，朝鲜中央通讯社和其他政府运营的媒体重点赞扬了金日成及其建立的抗日游击队，这些游击队最终形成了现代朝鲜军队的基础。海带是从这个国家的西海岸收获的，唯一不同寻常的消息是关于这个国家温度和降雨量的“异常天气现象”，这个国家对年轻统治者的命运保持沉默。
这篇文章已经更新，包括国防部发言人的评论。
DESPITE KIM JONG UN'S ABSENCE, MILITARY ACTIVITY SUGGESTS NOTHING AMISS IN NORTH KOREA, U.S. INTELLIGENCE SAYS
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un missed another national holiday on Saturday, fueling rumors and reports of his health. But U.S. intelligence sees no sign of unusual military activity that would suggest something amiss.
"Regional militaries in the Western Pacific and Asia, including those of our partner nations, remain at readiness levels consistent with historical norms," a senior Pentagon official told Newsweek because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
"We have observed no indications or received any additional information to make a conclusive assessment on the status of North Korean leadership or health of Kim Jong-un," the official added. "We continue to monitor the situation."
But Kim Jong Un, believed to be 36 and usually the center of his society, was still nowhere to be seen Saturday as his country commemorated Military Foundation Day. The Stimson Center's 38 North monitor shared satellite imagery showing that a roughly 820-feet long train has appeared at the North Korean head of state's compound in the east coast city of Wonsan in recent days.
The supreme leader has not appeared in public since his country's closely-controlled media published photos of him two weeks ago attending aerial exercises and presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Korean Workers' Party Central Committee. His failure to appear days later at Day of the Sun celebrations dedicated to his grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung, first sparked speculation regarding his well-being that the official told Newsweek may not be unfounded.
"With the presence of the train and his absence from two major events, there is certainly credibility to report that KJU is either in a serious health condition or potentially deceased," the official said.
"Since he is perceived as a deity in NK, his death would instantly trigger nationwide indications, so there is potential that the government had delayed an announcement in order to have everything in place to maintain security across the country," the official added.
Reached for comment by Newsweek, a Department of Defense spokesperson said the Pentagon had "no information" to share with respect to Kim Jong Un. "We continue to maintain a high state of 'Fight Tonight' readiness and robust combined defense posture to protect the Republic of Korea against any threat or adversary," the spokesperson said.
North Korea supreme leader Kim Jong Un walks alongside officials among warplanes of the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Aircraft Force's western division in this photo shared April 12 by the Korean Central News Agency. Kim's presence was not reported at drills days later on the eve of Day of the Sun.
Rumors of Kim Jong Un's state have been fueled by unnamed sources speaking to outside media outlets. Daily NK, a South Korea-based site with ties to a U.S. Congress-funded think tank among other institutions, cited an anonymous individual in North Korea reporting Monday that Kim had undergone heart surgery and was recovering at a family villa near the Mount Myohyang hospital where he reportedly received treatment.
CNN later that same day cited a U.S. official saying intelligence was monitoring Kim was in grave danger after the alleged procedure.
On Tuesday, Newsweek cited two senior U.S. intelligence officials reporting Kim Jong Un's last proof of life was April 18, but there were no major changes in the status of the country's armed forces. One official called this "the biggest indicator" that something major may be occurring in the reclusive militarized state still technically at war Washington and Seoul since their 1950s conflict.
As conjecture mounted Friday following a Reuters report that Chinese doctors had been dispatched to advise on Kim's health and a Hong Kong Satellite Television report claiming his demise, Newsweek again found no definitive evidence of upheaval in North Korea, citing a senior Pentagon official who continues to monitor the situation.
Michael Madden, an expert who closely watches North Korean affairs and runs the 38 North-affiliate North Korea Leadership Watch blog, said the lack of unusual military activity cast doubt on reports of Kim Jong Un's death.
"There's no movements in the country or around it. If he kicked the bucket something would be observable," Madden told Newsweek.
South Korea has also remained publicly skeptical, with unnamed officials telling Yonhap News Agency nothing appeared awry north of the world's most heavily-fortified border and the Blue House reporting no unusual trends regarding North Korea or Kim Jong Un's condition. Chinese and Russian officials questioned the media reports, as did President Donald Trump, the first sitting U.S. leader to meet a North Korean ruler.
The president told a Thursday press briefing he thought CNN's report on Kim Jong Un's health was "incorrect" but declined to provide details regarding his most recent contact with Pyongyang.
"We have a good relationship with North Korea, as good as you can have," Trump told reporters at a press briefing Thursday. "I mean we have a good relationship with North Korea. I have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un and I hope he's okay"
Trump and Kim Jong Un initially feuded throughout the heated year of 2017 but reversed course the following year, forging an unprecedented relationship in three high-profile meetings and exchanges of flattering letters—all in the name of a denuclearization-for-peace agreement that has yet to manifest. Lack of progress eventually eroded already fragile U.S.-North Korea ties, with Kim Jong Un threatening in January to debut a "new strategic weapon" after a year-end deadline passed without a deal.
Students wearing face masks attend a lecture on preventative measures against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus disease at the Pyongyang University of Medicine in Pyongyang on April 22. In the absence of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, everyday North Korean life appeared to go on as usual, with the exception of strict public health measures designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus pandemic that authorities claim has not yet reached the country.
With Kim Jong Un missing, however, issues of diplomacy and security remained uncertain. Transfer of power is a seemingly existential issue for North Korea, a country ruled by three generations of Kim since its founding in 1948. The death of Kim Il Sung was announced nearly a day and a half later, and authorities waited more than two days to reveal Kim Jong Il had passed away.
Both men, however, had heirs established years earlier. Kim Jong Un and wife Ri Sol Ju are not officially recognized to have children, despite outside media reports of potential offspring. His older brother Kim Jong Chol remains out of the spotlight, while his younger sister Kim Yo Jong has risen up the ranks of North Korea's intensely hierarchical—and patriarchal—political system.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Kim Yo Jong, who many have described as North Korea's most powerful woman, in an interview Thursday with Fox News.
"Well, I did have a chance to meet her a couple of times, but the challenge remains the same. The goal remains unchanged," Pompeo said. "Whoever is leading North Korea, we want them to give up their nuclear program, we want them to join the league of nations, and we want a brighter future for the North Korean people. But they've got to denuclearize, and we've got to do so in a way that we can verify. That's true no matter who is leading North Korea."
Other North Koreans in the spotlight include premier Kim Jae Ryong. The North Korean cabinet head conducted various on-site visits on Friday, offering his guidance on tree-planting and seemingly scolding miners for complaining about poor conditions and equipment.
The supreme leader, meanwhile, has only been featured in reports of him exchanging messages with the presidents of Cuba and Syria over the past week and receiving a floral basket from Moscow's embassy on Thursday, the anniversary of his visit to Russia last year.
On Saturday, the Korean Central News Agency and other government-run outlets focused on praising Kim Il Sung and his establishment of the anti-Japanese guerrilla units that eventually formed the basis of the modern North Korean military. Kelp was reaped off the country's west coast, and the only news out of the ordinary was "abnormal weather phenomena" regarding temperature and rainfall across a country that remains silent on the fate of its young ruler.
This article has been updated to include comment by a Defense Department spokesperson.
