Ultra elusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not dead -- he is just hiding from the coronavirus.
This is the latest assessment made by a South Korean minister and United States sources on April 28.
Kim Jong Un's mortality emerged as a major talking point globally after rumours swirled that he might be dead at 36, his supposed age.
Avoiding Covid-19
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with North Korea, said Kim Jong Un might have missed the April 15 celebrations to mark the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung, because of the coronavirus.
"He had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung's birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been cancelled because of coronavirus concerns," the minister told a parliamentary hearing.
"I don't think that's particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation."
North Korea has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
U.S. intelligence assessments
U.S. intelligence assessments have suggested that Kim's presidential train had been spotted near a retreat at the resort of Wonsan because the leader was staying there to avoid catching the virus.
The U.S. government experts have been, for the most part, dismissing media reports suggesting that Kim Jong Un had contracted some kind of serious illness.
Kim Yeon-chul described reports that Kim Jong Un had undergone a heart procedure, and that a Chinese medical team had travelled to North Korea, as "fake news."
Kim Jong Un missed previous events as well
An anonymous U.S. official said Washington's view was largely in line with the South Korean minister's assessment.
There had been at least two instances since mid-January when Kim Jong Un had not been seen in public for nearly 20 days, the South Korean minister noted.
The last time official media in North Korea reported on Kim Jong Un's whereabouts was when he presided over a meeting on April 11, but there have been near-daily reports of him sending letters and diplomatic messages.
North Korea has responded to the global coronavirus pandemic by cancelling some large events and imposing a border lockdown and quarantine measures.
The North Korean state media narrative has so far been about how this crisis has been perfectly managed.