North Korea slams external 'fake news,' South's conservatives

May 5 (UPI) -- North Korea accused the South of spreading "fake news" and "throwing the public into chaos" following weeks of speculation that Kim Jong Un was either critically ill or dead.

Pyongyang propaganda service Meari said in a statement addressing South Korea's political parties, as well as international and South Korean news services, the blame for wild rumors about the North Korean leader lies with South Korea's "conservative press" and the main opposition conservatives.

Kim disappeared from public life for 20 days before appearing at the opening of a fertilizer factory in Sunchon. His absence at the Day of the Sun ceremony on April 15 was followed by an unconfirmed report from a South Korean news service the North Korean leader may have received heart surgery and was in ill health. As rumors grew, two high-profile defectors in the South said they had reason to believe Kim was gravely ill, or even dead.

"These acts [of fake news] target specific political and economic objectives, or intentionally manipulate false facts and distribute them to manipulate public opinion," Meari said, without mentioning Kim or claims about his health.

The North Korean propaganda service also said the speed at which speculation spreads is aided by social networking services and YouTube.

Specifically, South Korea's conservative factions are "making great efforts to spread fake news" in the name of "freedom of expression," Meari said, while condemning the main opposition United Future Party.

Kim did not appear ill in footage of his first public appearance released on Saturday. It is likely he may have been evacuated from Pyongyang owing to an unexpected outbreak of the novel coronavirus among North Korean officials, South Korean analysts have said.

The North Korean leader ordered the construction of a new hospital in the capital in March.

Korean Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun claimed the construction of the hospital continues through the night, and included a photo of a brightly lit construction site on its front page on Tuesday.