North Korean parliament holds session amid speculation about leader

Seoul, Sep 25 (IANS/EFE) North Korea's parliament was expected to convene Thursday for an extraordinary session, amid speculation over the mysterious absence of the country's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un from the limelight for several weeks.

The session of the 13th Supreme Popular Assembly of North Korea had been announced by the official agency KCNA at the beginning of the month, but state media gave no information about the start of the meeting.

The parliamentary session, shrouded in secrecy like all political activities in the world's most isolated country, comes at a time marked by Kim's unusual absence from the North Korean media, which have not reported his activities for the past three weeks.

The main focus of interest in the session is whether it will be attended by Kim, whose last appearance in public was at a concert Sep 3.

South Korean media and experts have speculated about the health of Kim, although the lack of transparency in North Korea makes it difficult to know the motive behind his absence.

Parliamentary sessions in the Asian country are generally held annually in March and April, but some times extraordinary autumn sessions are also called to announce or approve important measures.

--IANS/EFE

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