Geopolitics
Governance/Geopolitics
North Korea: Kim Jong-un's weight loss leaves citizens worried

Just Earth News | @indiablooms | 29 Jun 2021, 11:12 am Print

North Korea: Kim Jong-un's weight loss leaves citizens worried North Korea | Kim Jong-un

North Korean leader Kim Jing-un's sudden weight loss has added fuel to speculations that the Supreme Leader of the country could be unwell.

In an unprecedented television footage, aired by state media KCNA, showed one of the citizens expressing concern for leader Kim Jong-un's  sudden weight loss, stated a BBC report.

This has happened for the first time as Kim's image is firmly controlled by the state media and the state of his health is usually beyond the limits of the public domain.

In two recent footage of Kim on the country's main television channel, Korea Central Television  (KCTV), he appeared noticeably thinner than previous images.

A BBC report stated that the second - and most unusual clip - was of an unnamed Pyongyang citizen who told Central TV on Friday's main news: "Seeing [Mr Kim] become emaciated like that, we all became so sad.

"Everyone just started to cry," he said.

There have been several rumours surrounding the health of the North Korean leader but they have never been acknowledged by the country's notoriously secretive government, according to a BBC report.

The footage and images of Kim during the Workers Party meeting earlier this month also showed that he was losing weight.

CNN said it is possible that the interview piece "simply slipped through the cracks" as it was aired only once.

However, North Korean state media has acknowledged in the past Kim family health issues. Death of Kim's father and predecessor Kim Jong II from a heart attack was also reported by the state media in 2011 while it said Kim was experiencing "discomfort" during his disappearance from the public eye for 40 days in 2014.

Reportedly, Kim Jong-un has no clear successor and it is being feared that East Asia could be pushed into fresh instability following his death or long-term incapacity

It is being said that if his sister Kim Yo-jong is deemed unsuitable, power may shift outside the Kim family for the first time.