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| Kim Jong Un (File Photo) |
By JOE GOULD
WASHINGTON — North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s recent 40-day disappearance from public view sparked speculation of a coup or serious illness, but US military officials were never convinced he was out of power, the commander of US forces in South Korea told reporters today.
“We didn’t see any discernible change that led us to believe there was an instability while he was gone,” said Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of US Forces Korea at a Pentagon press conference. “What we can understand looked like very normal functioning of their government.”
Kim reemerged Oct. 14, walking with a cane at a public appearance. US officials are unsure what the health issue is, but Scaparrotti said Kim is clearly in control of the country, touring construction sites and keeping a schedule as brisk as it had been before Kim vanished.
The remarks came as the US and South Korea announced this week that they would delay transferring wartime operational control of allied forces by taking on a “conditions-based” approach and scrapping the previously set deadline of 2015. The new target is 2025.
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