North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has regained weight and is suffering from obesity-related health problems – including high blood pressure and diabetes – and his officials are looking for new medicines abroad to treat them, South Korea’s spy agency says.
The 40-year-old, known for heavy drinking and smoking, comes from a family with a history of heart problems. Both his father and grandfather, who ruled North Korea before his 2011 inheritance of power, died of heart issues.
Some observers said Kim, who is about 5ft 8ins tall and previously weighed 140kg, appeared to have lost a large amount of weight in 2021, likely from changing his diet.
But recent state media footage show he has regained the weight.
On Monday, the National Intelligence Service, South Korea’s main spy agency, told politicians in a closed-door briefing that Mr Kim weighs about 140kg again and belongs to a high-risk group for certain diseases, according to Lee Seong Kweun, one of those who attended the meeting.
Mr Lee said the NIS told politicians that Mr Kim has shown symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes since his early 30s and that he will likely eventually suffer from heart disease if he fails to improve his health.
Another politician, Park Sunwon, said the NIS believes Mr Kim’s obesity is linked to his drinking, smoking and stress.
Mr Park and Mr Lee quoted the NIS as saying it obtained intelligence that North Korean officials have been trying to get new medicines abroad for high blood pressure and diabetes for Mr Kim.
North Korea is one of the most secretive countries in the world, and there are virtually no ways for outsiders to know Mr Kim’s exact health conditions.
The NIS also has a spotty record in confirming developments in North Korea.
Mr Kim’s health is the focus of keen attention outside North Korea since he has not formally anointed a successor who would take charge of the country’s advancing nuclear arsenal targeting the United States and its allies if he was incapacitated.
The NIS, in its Monday briefing, maintained its assessment that Mr Kim’s pre-teen daughter, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, appears to be bolstering her status as her father’s likely heir apparent.
But the NIS said it still cannot rule out the possibility that she could be replaced by one of her siblings because she has not been officially designated as her father’s successor.
Intense speculation about Kim Ju Ae, who is about 10 years old, flared as she has accompanied her father on a slew of high-profile public events starting in late 2022.
State media called her Kim Jong Un’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and churned out footage and photos proving her rising political standing and closeness with her father.
The NIS told lawmakers that at least 60% of Kim Ju Ae’s public activities have involved attending military events with her father.
