SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s spy agency said Tuesday it has solved the mystery of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s six-week public absence, which set off a frenzy of wild speculation around the world.
The National Intelligence Service told legislators that a foreign doctor operated on Kim in September or October to remove a cyst from his right ankle, according to lawmakers’ aides. One aide said the spy agency also told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that the cyst could recur because of Kim’s obesity, smoking and heavy public schedule.
Kim is back on the job, purging about 10 officials of his ruling Workers’ Party for watching South Korean soap operas, Yonhap News reported. It offered no details.
After last being seen in state media Sept. 3, Kim reappeared Oct. 14 hobbling with a cane but smiling and looking thinner.
Another legislative aide said the spy agency identified Kim’s condition as tarsal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition caused by compression of a nerve, sometimes because of a cyst. Surgery is generally seen as a last resort.
