Russia’s ambassador to North Korea on Monday rejected rumors that Kim Jong Un is in poor health, calling the claims “groundless” and insisting that life continues as normal in the DPRK.

In a wide-ranging interview with the state-run TASS Russian News Agency, Ambassador Alexander Matsegora told TASS First Deputy Director-General Mikhail Gusman — who visited Pyongyang last year — that he has found no evidence of anything unusual underway in the North.

“I am sure that these are baseless rumors,” Matsegora said. “The country is functioning normally.”

The Russian ambassador’s comments follow renewed speculation about the North Korean leader’s whereabouts,