The office of the President of South Korea, Cheong Wa Dae, has stated that no unusual activity has been spotted in North Korea regarding the health of Kim Jong-un, its leader, South Korean media Yonhap reported.

The statement had been issued in response to a report on CNN which stated that the U.S. was monitoring intelligence about the North Korean leader being in "grave danger" after a surgery.

A spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, Kang Min-seok, stated,"We have nothing to confirm and there has been no unusual activity detected in North Korea."

He was echoed by another government source, who also said that there had been no "relevant signs" detected about Kim's health, and stressed that he had continued to appear in public until recently.

What did the CNN report say?

CNN quoted a U.S. official who stated that he had "direct knowledge" of intelligence on Kim's health.

It also quoted another U.S. official who said that concerns about Kim's health were credible, although hard to assess.

The Daily NK, a South-Korean based site focused on North Korea, was also referenced by CNN, for reporting that Kim had underwent heart surgery.

The Daily NK in turn referenced sources which "speculated" that Kim's surgery had been due to "obesity, prolific smoking habits and 'overwork'".

It also reported that Kim is now supposedly recovering at Hyang San villa in the wake of the surgery, near a hospital that is for exclusive use by the Kim family.

North Korea media did not report Kim's presence at founder's anniversary

Both CNN and Daily NK further highlighted that North Korean media did not report about Kim's presence at the anniversary honouring the birth of the country's founder and his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung on Apr. 15.

Meanwhile, Yonhap reported that state media had last reported about Kim appearing at an Apr. 11 meeting, taking charge of a political bureau which called for "strict countermeasures" to check the spread of "the virus".

A false rumour?

A former CIA deputy division chief for North Korea, Bruce Klinger, raised the possibility that the speculation about Kim's health could be a false health rumour.

CNN quoted him as stating:

"There have been a number of recent rumours about Kim's health (smoking, heart, and brain). If Kim is hospitalised, it would explain why he wasn't present on the important Apr. 15 celebrations. But, over the years, there have been a number of false health rumours about Kim Jong-un or his father. We'll have to wait and see."

Top image from KCNA