Seoul officials say Kim Jong Un had ankle surgery

South Korea's spy agency says it has an explanation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's mysterious 6-week-long public absence.

An aide for a South Korean lawmaker says the National Intelligence Agency told legislators today that a foreign doctor operated on Kim in September or October to remove a cyst from his right ankle.

The aide to opposition lawmaker Shin Kyung-min said the spy agency disclosed the information in a closed-door briefing.

Kim's lengthy absence from public view triggered speculation about his health. He reappeared in state media earlier this month hobbling with a cane.

It wasn't immediately clear how the spy agency obtained the information. It has a spotty track record of analysing developments in opaque North Korea.