North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's absence from key national events over the last few days could be linked to his concerns over the coronavirus.
That's according to South Korea's minister for North Korean affairs, who clarified that it does not imply he is unwell.
Minister Kim Yeon-chul confirmed they have not detected any unusual movements in North Korea.
"It is true that 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," he said at a parliamentary hearing.
"I don’t think that’s particularly unusual given the current (coronavirus) situation."
Even though North Korea has said it has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus, officials in Seoul believe Kim must be trying to avoid exposure to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he has a good idea how Kim is doing, without elaborating.
Speculation around Kim's health surfaced after he skipped several key events since mid-April.
Iran denied on Monday that it had engaged in negotiations with the United States, after President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb Iran's power grid because of what he described as productive talks with unidentified Iranian officials.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukrainian intelligence believed Russian forces were preparing a new, imminent mass attack on the country.
At least seven rockets were launched from the Iraqi town of Rabi'a towards a US military base in northeastern Syria on Monday, two Iraqi security sources said, the first attack of its kind since the start of the US-Israeli military campaign on Iran.
At least one person was killed and 77 others hospitalised when a Colombian Air Force plane carrying 125 people crashed just after takeoff deep in the country's southern Amazon region on Monday.
Hong Kong police can now demand that people suspected of breaching the city's national security law provide mobile phone or computer passwords in a further crackdown on dissent.
US immigration agents began deploying at more than a dozen US airports on Monday to aid security screening as staffing absences by unpaid airport security officers have caused massive delays.
An Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, killing both pilots, injuring dozens and closing the facility, authorities said.
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