Story highlights South Korean lawmakers were briefed by intelligence sources

Kim Jong Un had surgery done by "European experts," lawmaker said

There is a possibility a cyst could recur because of obesity and health conditions

Kim Jong Un reappeared in photos on October 14 after about six weeks

(CNN) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who recently disappeared from public view for about six weeks, had a cyst removed from his right ankle, a lawmaker told CNN.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers during a closed-door meeting that a cyst was found on Kim's right ankle earlier this year, between May and June. That cyst may have caused muscle or nerve damage and prompted him to have ankle surgery between September and October, lawmaker Lee Cheol-woo said.

At the briefing, lawmakers were told that "European experts" handled the surgery for tarsal tunnel syndrome. The syndrome is caused by compression at the ankle -- known to cause pain during standing and walking.

Kim is believed to be recovering, South Korean lawmakers were told, but the cyst could recur due to his obesity and heavy schedule.

After his conspicuous absence throughout most of September, Kim seemed to reappear October 14, when North Korean state media published the first photos of him , in which the beaming Kim held a cane in his left hand as he gave "field guidance" at a newly built residential district.

Read More