NORTH Korea has released a statement from Kim Jong-un in an apparent effort to prove he is not dead amid ongoing rumours about his health.

Kim is reported to have sent a thank you message to builders working in the seaside resort of Wonsan.

5 Kim Jong-un applauds as he visits a military base in pictures released on April 12 Credit: Reuters

Rumours have swirled about the North Korean dictator after it was reported he was either dead, gravely ill or in a vegetative state.

State-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun has now reported Kim sent a personal letter to builders working on a tourism project in Wonsan.

Wonsan is also the location where what is believed to be Kim's armoured private train was spotted, and where he may be hiding out amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It is unclear if the letter was actually sent by Kim, and no new pictures of the leader have been released by state media.

North Korean state media outlet KCNA also reported Kim has sent a message to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

South Korean intelligence has said they are confident that Kim is alive and well, but US officials continue to investigate.

Kim was last seen at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party to discuss the coronavirus threat on April 11, and is claimed to have undergone heart surgery on April 12.

The North Korean leader was then suspiciously absent from the national birthday celebrations of his late granddad Kim Il-sung, known as the Day of the Sun.

Chinese journalist Shijian Xingzou said a “very solid source” told her the North Korean leader had died.

She has 15 million followers on Chinese social media site Weibo, and she is also the niece of one of the the country's foreign ministers.

Separately, a Japanese media outlet claimed Kim was in a “vegetative state” after undergoing heart surgery.

Other unverified rumours state Kim may have been injured during a recent missile test as there are reports of panic buying in North Korea.

5 Armoured train believed to belong to Kim Jong-un parked in Wonsan Credit: Reuters

5 Kim Jong-un leads a meeting on the North Korean response to the coronavirus on April 11 Credit: Reuters

5 Satellite images showing the Wonsan complex believed to be where Kim is hiding out Credit: AP:Associated Press

Weekly newspaper Shukan Gendai claimed he was visiting the countryside when he clutched his chest and collapsed.

A member of his entourage gave CPR and escorted him to hospital.

But the dictator was left severely ill after a delayed or botched procedure to fit a stent in an artery, it was claimed.

Another report from Beijing claimed that the heart op went wrong because the terrified surgeon’s hands kept shaking.

A team of up to 50 Chinese medics has reportedly been dispatched to North Korea, possibly for Kim.

On Sunday, US senator Lindsey Graham said he would be "shocked" if Kim is not dead or incapacitated.

Graham said he did not have any direct knowledge about Kim's condition.

The South Carolina Republican explained he believed the fact Pyongyang was staying silent on the escalating rumors was telling.

Sentaor Graham said: "So I pretty well believe he is dead or incapacitated. And I hope the long-suffering north Korean people will get some relief if he is dead."

5 Kim Jong-un at a missile test in pictures released by North Korean media on April 10 Credit: Reuters

However, also over the weekend South Korean president Moon Jae-in's foreign policy advisor poured cold water on reports Kim had died - insisting he is merely staying at his villa in Wonsan.

"Our government position is firm.....Kim Jong-un is alive and well, " Chung-in Moon told Fox News.

"He has been staying in the Wonsan area since April 13. No suspicious movements have so far been detected."

North Korean defectors have also dismissed the ongoing rumours of Kim's death.

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Joo Sung-ha, a defector turned journalist, said in a Facebook post reported by the New York Times it was reasonable to believe Kim had health problems.

However, he wrote he had zero trust in any of the reports as information about Kim's health is such a closely guarded secret.

Kim is understood to have poor health, weighing up to 20 stone and being a prolific binge eater, drinker and smoker.

It is speculated his sister Kim Yo-jong could be next in line after him if he was to be dead.

Kim Yo-jong has been tipped to take over the country should the Supreme Leader die Credit: Alamy Live News