Trump "I Don't Want to Say More About Kim Jong-un's Health"

"Stay Well"
"I Know Kim's Condition but Cannot Speak" Attitude Change a Day After Mention
Possible Dissatisfaction with Reports Pointing to Confusion

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 28th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer wanted to comment on rumors about North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un's health issues. However, he added, "I just hope he is doing well."

On the 28th (local time), during a meeting at the White House with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, when asked, "Can you say whether he (Chairman Kim) is in control of his country or not?" President Trump replied, "I just don't want to comment on that. I don't want to comment on that." He then emphasized, "I just hope he (Chairman Kim) is doing well."

When asked further, "Is he (Chairman Kim) still alive?" President Trump did not answer and said three times that he did not want to comment.

The day before, during a press conference, he had said, "I know well about Chairman Kim's condition, but I cannot speak about it now, and we will find out soon."

President Trump has made gradually more developed remarks about Chairman Kim's condition, but on this day, he refrained from commenting, indicating his intention not to provide additional information.

After CNN was the first Western media outlet to report on Chairman Kim's health rumors, President Trump repeatedly expressed hostility toward the report and CNN itself, saying "I don't know" and "It's a false report."

President Trump's change may reflect dissatisfaction with criticism that his remarks were premature. CNN also pointed out regarding President Trump's remarks the previous day that "President Trump only fueled more confusion about Chairman Kim's health."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.