Top North Korean military official Hwang Pyong-so has visited China to get medical treatment, a source said Wednesday, after he has not shown up at major public events for the past three weeks.

The 75-year-old director of the general political bureau of the Korean People's Army has returned to Pyongyang after recently visiting China to have his illness treated, according to the source familiar to North Korean affairs.

"Hwang is known to have some problems with his spine. There is a possibility that he visited China to get surgery on his backbone," the source said.

Hwang has not been seen in public since he delivered his condolences at a state funeral for a military marshal in early November, sparking speculation over his whereabouts.

The sudden disappearance of North Korean officials is usually viewed by outside analysts as being linked to a possible purge or punishment.

But experts said it is unlikely that Hwang has been disgraced, given his firm position in the North.

Hwang's status in the North is widely seen as relatively stable, as he was recently granted the title of the country's "hero" in recognition of his role in ending South Korea's resumption of an anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker campaign.

Jeong Joon-hee, spokesman at the Unification Ministry, declined to comment on Hwang's visit to China, saying that it is not proper for the Seoul government to publicly mention the North's internal affairs. (Yonhap)