North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is understood to be ‘extremely obese’ and is at risk of cardiovascular disease after packing on weight, Seoul’s spy agency has said.
A heavy smoker who has long been obese, Kim’s health is closely watched internationally as his sudden death could raise questions over succession and stability in the nuclear-armed state.
Kim’s ‘health condition is classified as extremely obese’, weighing over 310 pounds, lawmaker Youn Kun-young said, citing Seoul’s spy agency.
While he is at ‘high risk of cardiovascular disease’, Kim has shown no difficulty with physical activity, including running up stairs, Youn added.
‘It is assessed that there are no signs of health issues, given the close monitoring by (his) dedicated medical team.’
Speculation over Kim’s health flared in 2020 when he missed a commemoration of his late grandfather’s birthday and disappeared from public view for about 20 days, fuelling rumours that he was seriously ill after surgery.
Kim’s father Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, were also obese and heavy smokers. Both died of heart attacks.
The nuclear-armed country is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes and has long struggled with a moribund state-managed economy and chronic food shortages.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is understood to be ‘extremely obese’ and is at risk of cardiovascular disease. Pictured: Kim Jong Un in June, 2015
Kim weigh over 300 lbs, according to South Korea’s spy agency. Pictured: Kim alongside a pursuit assault plane group in 2020
The North Korean leader’s health is closely watched internationally as a sudden death would raise questions over succession and stability in the nuclear-armed state
According to reports, Kim has very expensive taste and likes to indulge
Elizabeth Salmon, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, said in February that food shortages are a key humanitarian concern in the country.
But Paul Smart, executive chef at Hanoi’s Metropole hotel, who worked with Kim’s personal chefs during the 2019 North Korea-US summit, said at the time that the North Korean leader had a taste for rare meat and luxury foods.
According to his chefs – both of them called Kim – the North Korean leader has expensive tastes, Smart said in 2019.
‘He likes caviar, lobster, really luxurious product. Foie gras, he really likes to indulge in cuisine.’
Concerns over Kim’s health come as South Korea’s spy agency said earlier this year that it believed his daughter was close to being designated as North Korea’s future leader.
Kim’s daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old, has been accompanying her father to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings.
State media said she is her father’s ‘most beloved’ or ‘respected’ child and churned out footage and photos proving their closeness and her rising political standing.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service also said earlier this month that it was trying to determine if Kim had a son, but if he exists, he is not in a position to become the successor.
