'INCORRECT'
Trump dismisses report that Kim Jong-un is gravely ill after surgery – but refuses to say if he’s called North Korea
PRESIDENT Trump said Thursday that claims of Kim Jong-un being gravely ill is "fake news."
reported earlier this week that the North Korean leader was fighting for his life after undergoing surgery.
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However, bashed the report and the cable network during his daily press briefing.
"I think the report was done by a network that was incorrect," he said.
"I'm hearing they used old documents. But that's what I hear.
"I hear that the report was an incorrect report. Well I hope it was an incorrect report."
He added: "It was a fake report done by CNN."
When pushed on whether he'd spoke to Pyongyang, Trump said: "I don't want to say. I won't say that."
"We have a good relationship with North Korea, as good as you can have.
"I mean, we have a good relationship with North Korea. I have a good relationship with Kim Jong-un and I hope he's OK."
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When the reporter tried to press Trump further, he snapped: "No that's enough. The problem is you don't write the truth so, as far as I'm concerned I want to go to the next person.
"CNN is fake news, don't talk to me," he concluded.
Trump's comments came as:
- North Korea denies Trump’s claims that Kim
- Kim's demise would spark Game of Thrones-style battle for succession
- Dennis Rodman reveals he’s praying for ‘ailing’ dictator
A South Korean official told the country’s Yonhap news agency that Kim was not seriously ill, according to .
recently missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday on April 15, according to CNN, which fueled speculation about his health.
"We're monitoring these reports very closely," National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told Fox News on Tuesday.
"As you know, North Korea is a very closed society."
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Daily NK, an online newspaper based in South Korea, reported that Kim may have undergone a procedure on April 12.
The surgery took place because of his "excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork," according to the outlet.
"There have been a number of recent rumors about Kim's health," Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation told CNN.
"If Kim is hospitalized, it would explain why he wasn't present on the important April 15th celebrations.
"But, over the years, there have been a number of false health rumors about Kim Jong-un or his father.
"We'll have to wait and see."
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Kim, who is 36, has been out of the public eye for extended periods in the past, and North Korea’s secretive nature allows few outsiders to assert confidently whether he might be unwell or incapacitated.
He is the third generation of his family to rule over North Korea.
His younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, is most likely to step in if her brother is gravely ill or dies.
Some experts say a collective leadership is plausible.
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“Among the North’s power elite, Kim Yo Jong has the highest chance to inherit power, and I think that possibility is more than 90 per cent,” said analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea.
“North Korea is like a dynasty, and we can view the Paektu descent as royal blood so it’s unlikely for anyone to raise any issue over Kim Yo Jong taking power.”
Kim Yo Jong is in charge of North Korea’s propaganda affairs.
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