North Korean leader's weight loss leads to diverse speculation

This 2020 Oct. file photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, appearing on North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. The Sept. 9 image of him, right, captured from Korean Central Television shows he has lost much weight. Yonhap

By Yoon Ja-young

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who seems to have succeeded in a rigorous diet plan, is facing diverse speculation due to his change in appearance. Following speculation of him being sick, now there are rumors that he was murdered, which South Korea's spy agency rebut.

Media outlets here have cited a recent report by Globe, a U.S.-based tabloid magazine, about a coup in North Korea. Globe reported on the front page of its Oct. 23 (local time) edition that Kim's "ruthless kid sister" Yo-jong staged a secret coup between May and June and "murdered him before he could execute her."

Citing U.S. intelligence sources, it reported that Kim Jong-un, who hadn't been seen in public since June, was only seen at a Sept. 9 event marking the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding. The person appearing for the event was a "skinny impostor," it claimed, citing the difference in his appearance.

However, the South's National Intelligence Service (NIS) denied the report, calling it "completely false," in text messages to reporters. But speculations over Kim Jong-un's well-being have been raised continuously since last year.

Japan's Tokyo Shimbun speculated last month that the North Korean leader seen at the Sept. 9 event could have been a double, focusing on how different he looked from previous pictures in which he was estimated to be around 140 kilograms (308 pounds) in weight.

The NIS reported to lawmakers last November that Kim, who is believed to be 170 centimeters tall, weighed 90 kilograms (198 pounds) in 2012 when he took power, but had gained six to seven kilograms each year to reach 140 kilograms in 2020.

The NIS analyzed in July that Kim seems to have lost 10 to 20 kilograms, and a number of media reported he seems to have shed an additional 20 kilograms since then based on his picture.

While the drastic loss of weight coupled with his absence from public view have led to rumors that he could have been seriously ill, the spy agency reported to lawmakers that he seems to have shed weight for health reasons. Both Kim's grandfather Kim Il-sung and father Kim Jong-il reportedly died of cardiovascular disease, which would give him enough reason to control his weight.

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