Pyongyang Resident Says That North Koreans Are “Heartbroken” Over Kim Jong-un’s Supposed Weight Loss

Residents of North Korea are rather sad at the moment.

Not because of COVID-19, since it hasn’t infected a single person in the country, according to the authorities.

But because a certain politician in the country seems to have lost a lot of weight. And by certain politician, I mean their “Supreme Leader”.

Pyongyang Resident Says That North Koreans Are “Heartbroken” Over Kim Jong-un’s Supposed Weight Loss

North Koreans are heartbroken over Kim Jong-un’s apparent weight loss, one Pyongyang resident told state broadcaster KRT last Friday (25 Jun).

“Seeing respected general secretary (Kim Jong-un) looking emaciated breaks our people’s heart so much,” he said. “Everyone is saying their tears welled up.”

The news clip showed Pyongyang residents watching a big screen on the street showing a concert attended by Mr Kim and party officials.

It should be noted, however, that KRT is more tightly controlled than a COVID-19 testing lab.

It all started in June 2021 when Mr Kim reappeared in the state media after nearly a month out of the public eye.

Analysts at NK News, a Seoul-based website which monitors activity in North Korea, who also seem to have sharper vision than a mature eagle, noticed that the Supreme Leader’s watch—which costs more than any amount I can ever earn in my life—appeared to be fastened more tightly than before around a supposedly slimmer wrist.

His watch may be looser, but his grip on North Korea is sure not getting any laxer.

The apparent weight loss fuelled already growing speculation about his health.

Last year, Mr Kim missed the birth anniversary celebrations of state founder Kim Il Sung on 15 April, sparking rumours about ill health.

But he reappeared a month later to the dismay delight of residents.

Analysts Say This Could Be Propaganda

However, though North Koreans may be delighted at the re-emergence of their leader, analysts remain more skeptical.

Some suspect that the mention of Mr Kim’s health could have been played up to stave off speculation and emphasise shared sacrifice amid North Korea’s currently tight food situation, analysts said.

Ms Jenny Town, director of the 38 North project, which monitors North Korea, says that the reason behind Mr Kim’s weight loss is ambiguous—it is indeterminate whether he lost weight due to illness or a decision to get fitter.

Why KRT decided to shine the spotlight on his weight loss is also unclear. “It is a little strange that they would show him in such ill-fitting clothes, as the optics do seem to emphasise his weight loss,” she said.

“Regardless of the motivation for Kim’s rapid weight loss, it seems there is propaganda value in showing that even the leader of North Korea is enduring the same food shortages that are hitting the country at the current time,” said Mr Chad O’Carroll, chief executive of Korea Risk Group.

Mr Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at the Netherlands’ Leiden University, speculated that the North Korean authorities may have planned to highlight Mr Kim’s hard efforts for the people as the pandemic rages on, or that this message could simply be an unintentional effect of Mr Kim’s appearance.

The use of “pseudo-voxpop”—a deliberate staging by state media to look genuine—is a common North Korean media tactic, Mr Green said. In this case, it would be the interview from an unidentified Pyongyang resident.

But there’s a reason why Kim Jong-un’s weight loss makes headlines while ours hardly gets a clap on the back.

With Mr Kim’s unwavering control over North Korea and ambivalence over his future successor, everyone monitors his health: the international media, spy agencies, and specialists.

“It is a major weight loss, and his health is important to the functioning and fate of the state, which is why people are watching this closely,” said Ms Town.

Feature Image: Alexander Khitrov / Shutterstock.com