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Kim Jong Un missing from Supreme People's Assembly list

The North Korean leader voted but was not on the list of newly elected delegates on Tuesday.

By Elizabeth Shim
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows Kim Jong Un casting his vote on Sunday. Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows Kim Jong Un casting his vote on Sunday. Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE

SEOUL, March 12 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Un was not on a list of delegates newly elected to Pyongyang's 14th Supreme People's Assembly on Tuesday, contradicting earlier reports Kim "won an overwhelming victory" at the polls on Sunday.

Pyongyang's state news agency KCNA reported the election that took place on March 10, 2019, or "Juche Year 108," has resulted in the election of 687 delegates to the assembly.

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The number of delegates elected is the same as those voted into their position in March 2014. Kim had been elected to the assembly five years ago, but on Tuesday the North Korean leader was not included on the list, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

KCNA reported "99.99 percent" of voters went to the polls and all candidates received 100 percent of the vote.

North Korea's central election commission reportedly collected all results submitted by district election committees and disclosed the names of the 687 delegates elected.

The statement from KCNA marks the first time a North Korean leader's name is missing from the list of representatives for the Supreme People's Assembly, according to South Korean news agency Newsis.

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Kim may have chosen not to run; Seoul's unification ministry could be monitoring the situation closely because the event is unprecedented, according to the report.

Kim's powerful younger sister Kim Yo Jong was elected to the Fifth Kalma Constituency and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho was elected to the 371st Unha Constituency.

North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly is a rubber-stamp parliament. Kim was previously elected to a seat in the Mount Paektu Constituency No. 111.

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