After North Korean officials visit South high level talks set to resume

After senior North Korean officials made a surprise visit to South Korea to attend the closing ceremonies of the Asian Games, Hwang Pyong-so, regarded as the second most powerful person in the North, met with South Korea's Reunification Minister.Reports from South Korea now claim that the two sides have agreed to resume high level talks that had been suspended since last February followed by increased tensions between the two countries.
 In the North, Kim Jong-un appears to have serious health problems, and is suffering from gout. The disease runs in the family and is exacerbated by eating rich foods. The chubby North Korean leader is said to be "addicted" to Swiss Emmental cheese. Recent video footage has shown Kim walking with a limp but he has not appeared in public since Sept.3. He was not at a recent meeting of the parliament. A source told Yonhap news: "Kim Jong-un is suffering from gout, which is why he is limping on both legs. I understand that he is suffering from gout along with hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure."
 A think-tank based in Seoul South Korea North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS) suggests that Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's younger sister, could be leading the country during the illness of her brother. A source told NKIS that the Political Bureau of the ruling party decided to give Kim extended medical treatment at a recent meeting. They also decided that officials should carry out Kim's previous orders and that both the party and army should be on war time alert while Kim is unable to perform his duties due to his medical condition. Finally, the party decided that important matters of government administration should be reported to Kim Yo-jong to allow Kim to concentrate on improving his health. One senior North Korean official has denied that Kim has any health problem.
 The first official mention of Yo-jong was March 9 this year as she accompanied Kim Jong-un as they voted for the Supreme People's Assembly. She was described then as a senior official of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. The head of NKIS Kim Heung-gwang claims: “Some say Hwang Byong-so, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, may have assumed new No. 2 status, but given what has been confirmed this time, we can say Hwang is just a shadow, and Kim Yo-jong is the second-in-command of North Korea,”
 Whoever is in charge, North Korea seems to be making moves to improve relations with the South. So Se Pyong, the North Korean ambassador to the UN, said on Friday that the North was also ready to resume talks on its nuclear program and that there were no plans for any missile or nuclear tests.