US believes Kim Jong Un in Greater Pyongyang area: Report

Kangdong County, located northeast of central Pyongyang City, is also home to a number of factories, including a precision machine plant that Kim visited in 2017.

The U.S. suspects North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is currently in the wider Pyongyang area, according to a report by South Korean daily DongA Ilbo that cites an unidentified Washington government official.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un sits in his vehicle after arriving at the Dong Dang railway station, Vietnam, at the border with China, February 26, 2019. (REUTERS)

The official told the newspaper that the U.S. identified what it believed was Kim’s train in Kangdong County this week, and his car and horse was also seen in the area. The train was spotted through satellite imagery near the coastal city of Wonsan late last month, it said.

Kangdong County, located northeast of central Pyongyang City, is also home to a number of factories, including a precision machine plant that Kim visited in 2017.

The North Korean leader most recently appeared at a May Day ceremony to mark the opening of a fertilizer plant after he wasn’t seen in public for about three weeks.

His absence from state media also came with a flurry of reports last month that prompted questions about his health. South Korean intelligence officials told Yonhap News earlier this month that they saw “no sign” of Kim having undergone a heart surgery.

Kim has not been seen in public since his May Day appearance, JoongAng Ilbo reported Friday.