(Photo: Planet Labs-38 North/Handout via REUTERS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. THIRD PARTY IMAGE.)
A special train reportedly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen in a resort town in the nation this week, based on satellite photos evaluated by a North Korean monitoring team headquartered in Washington, in the midst of sketchy reports of Kim's physical condition and whereabouts.
The monitoring group, 38 North, disclosed in its Saturday report that the train was parked on April 21 and April 23 at the "leadership station" in Wonsan. The station, it said, is reserved for Kim's family use.
The satellite images have little to say about Kim's health issues, which echo the intelligence of the South Korean government that the North Korean dictator is staying outside Pyongyang, the country's capital city. Seoul has also confirmed repeatedly that there were no suspicious symptoms that could suggest Kim's health problems.
This hasn't stopped mounting unconfirmed rumors and media reports about Kim's health that have arisen after he skipped a commemoration of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung's 108th birthday on April 15.
The approximately 250-meter long train, though partially covered by the station's roof, can be spotted at the railway station. The train was not there on April 15 but was seen on April 21 and 23.
The photos suggest the train arrived sometime before April 21 and was still present on April 23, when the train appeared to be repositioned to depart. However, there was no indication when the departure may occur.
With Kim Jong-un being absent from public appearances in the last two weeks, conflicting and unconfirmed reports about his health -- some even suggesting his death or near-death -- are creating tensions in its next-door neighbor, South Korea.
Speculations made the rounds late Sunday that Kim may be incapacitated, after a media report that cited Shijian Xingzou, a vice director of Hong Kong Satellite Television, based on a "very credible source."
On Sunday, a key aide to the president of neighboring South Korea insisted that Kim was "alive and well." Chung-in Moon, foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told Fox News that their government stance is firm, and that "Kim Jong Un is alive and well. Kim has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious developments have so far been monitored.
The state media of the reclusive North Korea last reported on Kim's whereabouts when he presided over a meeting on April 11.
China has sent a team to the country, including doctors and medical experts to advise on Kim, three people with knowledge of the situation, disclosed.
