CRI听力:Q&A on Kim Jong Un's Long Absence from Public Sight

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been out of sight for over a month, and there is speculation that he might not appear at a key political event on Friday.

The speculation has begun to question his health and grip on power in the country.

Friday marks the 69th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's ruling Korean Workers' Party, an event Kim has marked for the past two years.

State media did not report as usual the traditional visit by top leader Kim Jong Un to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a midnight ritual marking the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

For more on this, CRI's Mark Griffiths earlier spoke with Professor Shen Dingli, Associate Dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University.

Questions:

1. Do you think it normal for a leader of the country to be absent from public view for such a long time?

2. Friday marks the founding day of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, what would it mean if Kim himself doesn't show up at the political meeting to be held, or if he does make an appearance, what might that mean?