North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Appears to Have Lost Some Weight. Why is the World Watching His Waistline?

(Photo : Pyeongyang Press Corps/Pool/Getty Images)
North And South Korean Leaders Meet For Third Summit In Pyongyang
PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - SEPTEMBER 19: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a lunch at the Okryugwan restaurant on September 19, 2018 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim and Moon meet for the Inter-Korean summit talks after the 1945 division of the peninsula, where they will discuss ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un appears to have lost some weight following years of significant weight gain, says watchers and an NK News study of official media. In November, the National Intelligence Service of South Korea, the country's spy agency, stated that Kim weighed slightly over 300 pounds.

Kim Jong Un reportedly weighed under 200 pounds when he assumed control over a decade ago, as per the South Korean spy service. North Korea's leader is estimated to be in his mid-30s and is approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, so he would be deemed very obese and at danger for several health concerns if he weighed more than 300 pounds.

The analysis says Kim Jong Un lost weight

During Kim's unannounced absence in April, there was widespread suspicion that he was in grave danger following surgery, that he was dead, in a coma, or brain-dead. Kim was discovered to be alive and healthy, although his condition has not been great.

As NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko remarked on Twitter, the North Korean leader appeared on state-run KCTV on June 5, and professional North Korea observers remarked that he seemed to have lost weight. The length of the strap past the buckles appears longer in recent images than it did in November, indicating that he was able to wear it tighter on his wrist, according to NK News' analysis of multiple state media pictures of Kim wearing his $12,000 IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic watch.

Kim Jong Un walking into the politburo meeting, from KCTV June 5. Also some hummingbird applause on the left there pic.twitter.com/Cpbum5Txgs
— Colin Zwirko (@ColinZwirko) June 5, 2021

Though photo and video analysis of official media has not always been a precise science, it has supplied a lot of info regarding advancements in North Korea, particularly the country's nuclear and missile programs. Kim's face appears to be a little smaller in recent shots, and his clothing appears to be a little looser than they were in previous events.

North Korean leader's family has a history of heart attacks

Kim Jong Un's weight and accompanying health issues, as well as his rumored tendency for chain-smoking cigarettes and heavy drinking, have long been viewed as danger factors for the North Korean regime, and they have prompted much speculation regarding succession if the man dies abruptly. The apparent weakness of North Korea's leadership, which is in charge of a nuclear-armed country, is causing at least some alarm.

Ana Fifield, a seasoned reporter, and North Korea expert characterized Kim Jong Un as appearing like a heart attack waiting to happen in one part in her 2019 book "The Great Successor: The Secret Rise and Rule of Kim Jong Un." Kim Jong Il, his father, died of a heart attack after having a stroke a few years before. Terry believes that the health of the government's leadership is one of the most crucial indications of regime stability. "Kim Jong Un's health is the largest wild card in North Korea," she added, as per Business Insider.

Kim Jong-un does not make his medical records public. However, Kim has been overweight for almost his entire political life, and both his father and grandfather, North Korea's previous rulers, are thought to have died of heart attacks. In early 2018, Stephen Colbert suggested on his late-night program that Oprah Winfrey may assist North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to lose weight, therefore calming tensions, National Interest reported.