Arrogant Rice says US monitoring North Korea with great attention

National Security Adviser Susan Rice says the US is monitoring North Korea with great attention and there is no indication that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is no longer in power.

“Obviously, we are watching very carefully what’s happening in North Korea. It’s a country that we monitor with great attention,” Rice said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The North Korean leader has been absent from the public view for more than a month now.

The 31-year-old leader was seen only once last month when he, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju, his sister Kim Yo-jong, and several top officials, appeared at a Moranbong Band concert at Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Theatre on September 3.

Curiosity about his public absence started after he did not attend the founding anniversary of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party on Friday.

Local sources downplayed his absence at the founding anniversary of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, rejecting any speculation that he has been sidelined.

Reuters reported on Thursday that a source said Kim was not present in the public because of a leg injury.

“We have not seen any indications of a transfer of power at this point in North Korea that we view as definitive,” Rice said. “But we’ll continue to watch it carefully.”