Trump appears to confirm that North Korea's Kim is alive

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to confirm that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is alive, saying he wished him well after days of speculation over the dictator's whereabouts.

Asked if he had new information about Kim's health, Mr Trump said "yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can't talk about it now. I just wish him well."

"I hope he's fine," Mr Trump continued, speaking at a White House press conference. "I do know how he's doing, relatively speaking."

Mr Trump said the media would "probably be hearing in the not-too-distant future" about Kim.

Conjecture has grown since Kim's conspicuous no-show at April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the North's founder - the most important day in the country's political calendar.

Kim has not made a public appearance since presiding over a Workers' Party politburo meeting on April 11, and the following day state media reported on him inspecting fighter jets at an air defense unit.

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Amid media reports that he was ill and speculation that he might even have died, a top security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae In said Sunday that Kim was in fact "alive and well."

AFP