Kim Jong-un ends rumours about ill health, attends ceremony to mark 26th death anniversary of his grandfather

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday attended a ceremony held on the occasion of the 26th death anniversary of his grandfather Kim Il Sung.

Kim was joined by his senior officials of the government as he visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun mausoleum to mark the 6th anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s death. Kim Il Sung is known as the “eternal president” of North Korea.

Interestingly, no North Korean leader has ever missed Kim Il Sung's death anniversary.

The reclusive leader of the hermit kingdom made newspaper headlines as various sources sparked speculations over his ill health. There were rumours going around that he might have suffered a serious setback on the back of a botched heart operation.

World media has been rife with reports suggesting the North Korean leader's ill health after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure at a hospital on April 12.

CNN had reported that Kim was in "grave danger", citing unnamed US officials who reportedly told the publication that "the concerns about Kim's health are credible but the severity is hard to assess."

However, soon after this, the South Korean government's Unification Ministry and National Intelligence Service said that it was looking into US media reports and later stated that the Supreme Leader in the North was not "gravely ill".

Speculation has been rife about what happened to Kim since he apparently 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.  

However, In May, the North Korean leader was seen inaugurating a fertiliser factory. According to the state media, the crowd burst into "burst into thunderous cheers of 'hurrah!" when Kim Jong-un graced the event with his presence.