Kim Jong-un has failed to attend a key political anniversary for the first time since he became North Korea's leader and has now not been seen in public for 37 days.

Until this year, Kim (pictured left) has faithfully marked the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Korean Workers' Party (KWP) by making an early morning visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang.

Yesterday however, he was absent for the 69th anniversary, according to the Korean Central News Agency, the official North Korean news wire, which did not list his name at the event.

North Korean watchers were keeping a close eye on the event amid rumours that Kim has succumbed to serious illness or been deposed in a coup.

"For the 69th Anniversary of the party establishment, party and military members visited Kumsusan Sun Palace to express their noble respect. Kim Yong Nam, Park Bong Ju, Hwang Byung Seo, and other party, military, working group members joined the event," reported KCNA.

While Kim Jong-Un has regularly marked the anniversary, his father Kim Jong-Il only went twice while he was in power.

"We can say confidently that Kim Jong-Un has experienced an adverse episode of some sorts. The details, however, remain unverified," said Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Kim has not been seen in public since September 3, his longest absence since he made his first official appearance in late 2010.

The extended absence, in addition to his failure to attend the Supreme People's Assembly and rumours of health problems, have fuelled speculation about whether he may still be in charge of North Korea.

There are rumours that he was ousted in a power struggle, or has simply been sidelined by ankle surgery.

After giving some rare criticism to the military in April, Kim took a more hands-on approach to military drills.

During these exertions, he reportedly hurt his leg in the field among troops in mid-July.

"Media attention has now turned to revelations from an anonymous source with reported ties to Pyongyang. This source claims Kim Jong-Un has simply suffered a leg injury during the course of conducting field inspections," said Curtis Melvin.

(© Daily Telegraph, London)

Irish Independent