Kim Jong Un 'disappears' ahead of Army Day; ill health speculation grows: reports

Speculations about North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un's health have again come to the fore, after his alleged disappearance before the mass parade slated to be held this week, Fox News reported on Monday.

Incidentally, North Korea's capital Pyongyang is expected to hold mass parades this week but the leader has not been seen in public for a month.

Fox News cited a South Korean-based outlet NK News, in stating that Kim skipped a Politburo meeting on Sunday, which is the third time he has done that.

It is pertinent to note that Kim's longest-ever disappearance came in 2014 when he was not seen in public for 40 days, Fox News cited NK News.

The mass parades are slated to be held in Pyongyang on Tuesday or Wednesday and will be celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army.

Whether or not Kim will make an appearance in the parade, remains to be seen.

Kim may use the parade to showcase the latest hardware from his growing nuclear weapons and missile program which is also a growing concern for the US and its allies in Asia, Fox News reported.

Last week, North Korea condemned the US plans to expand its joint exercise with South Korea and deploy more advanced military assets like bombers and aircraft carriers to the region. It even threatened to counter the military moves of the US with the "most overwhelming nuclear force", Fox News reported.

In 2022, North Korea fired more than 70 ballistic missiles, which included potential nuclear-capable weapons designed to strike targets in South Korea or even reach the U.S. mainland.

In response to the expanded US military drills with South Korea, which were downsized during the Trump administration, North Korea even conducted a slew of launches which it described as 'simulated nuclear attacks', Fox News further reported.

Also watch: North Korea's Kim orders 'exponential' expansion of nuke arsenal