South Korean officials on Tuesday disputed a news report that North Koreaâs leader, Kim Jong-un, was receiving treatment after undergoing heart surgery.
Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that relies on anonymous sources inside North Korea to report on the isolated country, said late Monday that Mr. Kim received a cardiovascular procedure at Hyangsan Hospital, a clinic dedicated to treating the Kim family, on April 12.
Officially, the South Korean government said it had no comment. But government and parliamentary officials in Seoul privately questioned the veracity of the Daily NK report.
The office of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea had ânothing to confirmâ about the Daily NK report, said Mr. Moonâs spokesman, Kang Min-seok. Mr. Kang added that South Korea âhas so far detected no special signs inside North Korea,â a stock phrase the South has often used to cast doubt on unsubstantiated news reports on North Korea.