Speculation continued to mount on Monday over the whereabouts and fate of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
A North Korean defector claimed that Kim could have injured himself during a missile launch.
Lee Jeong Ho, a former Workers' Party official, wrote in the South Korean newspaper Dong-a Ilbo that Kim must have been healthy enough to authorize missile tests on April 14, but could have hurt himself in the process.
“Kim was absent from the reports of the tests while no footage of the missile launch and the training of combat aircraft was released, which points to a possibility of an unexpected accident that might have been caused by debris or fire,” claimed Lee.
The barrage of missiles fired off the country's east coast on April 14 could not have gone ahead without Kim's approval, argued Lee.
Last week it was reported that Kim is in grave danger after undergoing heart surgery. The report was denied by a South Korean official.
Subsequent reports claimed the North Korean leader is in a vegetative state.
On Sunday, a South Korean official told CNN that Kim is "alive and well" and has been staying in the Wonsan area of North Korea since April 13.
Kim last appeared in North Korean state media on April 11 but missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday on April 15, which raised speculation about his well-being.
In his column, Lee played down the claims that Kim could be “brain dead”, explaining that reports that Kim was treated at a Mount Myohayng hospital are unlikely to be true because his doctors are based in the capital, Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump hinted on Monday that he knows what is happening with the North Korean leader, but would not provide details.
"I can't tell you exactly. Yes, I do have a very good idea but I can't talk about it, now," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Kim.
"I just wish him well...I do know how he's doing, relatively speaking. You probably will be hearing in the not too distant future," he added.