(Photo : BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT-SKOREA-US-NKOREA-DIPLOMACY
TOPSHOT - North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un before a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
In a new propaganda broadcast, Kim Jong Un seemed slimmer than ever, with extra skin drooping over his neck and his jacket hanging loosely over his shoulders.
During Pyongyang's Youth Day celebrations, the North Korean dictator appeared on official television striding in front of a stand packed with hundreds of obviously adoring schoolchildren, the girls sobbing and the males clapping wildly as he waved and smiled.
Kim Jong Un praises young volunteers
Kim Jong Un, North Korea's Supreme Leader and general secretary of the governing Workers' Party, met with young "volunteers" working in difficult and challenging areas on August 30 and blessed them with a bright future, according to the country's state media, KCNA.
#KCNA 8/30: Kim Jong Un "met and had a significant photo session with the participants in the Youth Day celebrations."
Are they crying because he's so much better looking in person or losing too much weight? pic.twitter.com/mVMRBSgAsf— Sung-Yoon Lee (@SungYoonLee1) August 30, 2021
Kim Jong Un is said to have shaken hands with each of the young people who worked with high awareness and passion to "glorify" the youth in the van of the worthy age, highly valuing their actions and mental world."
He was joined by the member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau Jo Yong Won, department director of the Central Committee of the WPK Ri Tu Song, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK Ri Il Hwan, and chairman of the Central Committee of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League Mun Chol. Kim Jong Un praised them as "admirable heroes" and pledged his unwavering support. The report, however, did not go into detail about their responsibilities.
The most recent meeting between North Korea's Supreme Leader and young volunteers in difficult areas occurred after state media reported in May that orphans, conscripted soldiers, and students were volunteering to do physical labor in the secretive state. Some of the pupils seemed to be children in the photos at the time. Work in coal mines, farms, and big building projects were among the jobs available, as per Republic World.
North Korea bans gossip about Kim Jong Un's health
Kim's facial features were particularly apparent, particularly around his chin, which had previously been hidden in folds of fat. The 37-year-old also wore a white jacket with a large gap between his neck and the collar, as well as flaps and wrinkles along the midriff where the cloth had previously been pushed tight over his stomach.
NEW: Kim Jong Un took a group photo with North Korean youth on Tuesday:
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) August 31, 2021
-State media reported they had previously been “lagging behind” party expectations
-Hard work gave them a “clean slate”
-Kim’s appearance raises questions about his previous absenceshttps://t.co/9sD2jkZA5O pic.twitter.com/8CfVjn6kul
After photographs appeared earlier this year showing a significant shift thought to reflect a 44-pound reduction, speculation over Kim's health prompted the authorities to restrict talks about his weight as a reactionary act. In an attempt to put an end to the rumors, apparatchiks have told state media that Kim is eating less for the benefit of the country as it struggles with starvation while also claiming that the dictator is in good health.
However, there have been rumors that Kim Jong Un had a gastric band installed to help him lose weight due to his cheese addiction. Others have argued that the COVID-19 pandemic brought the necessity for the leader to lose weight into sharp focus.
In an extremely rare broadcast two months ago, State TV interviewed someone who stated his "emaciated condition was wrenching our people's hearts." Per Daily Mail, experts say it was a cynical attempt to elicit sympathy for Kim Jong Un whose nation is suffering from an economic crisis brought on by the pandemic and a poor harvest.
North Korea prepares for dialogue, confrontation with the US
Days after the US and others encouraged the North to halt its nuclear program and return to negotiations, Kim Jong Un instructed his government to be ready for both dialogue and confrontation with the Biden administration with the emphasis on confrontation.
Kim's statement suggests he'll strive to enhance his nuclear weapons and put more pressure on Washington to abandon what North Korea sees as hostile US policies while other experts believe he'll also prepare for negotiations to resume.
Kim Jong Un analyzed the policy trends of the United States under President Joe Biden in-depth during a current governing party conference and clarified certain actions to be done in ties with Washington, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The dictator emphasized the need to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, particularly for confrontation, to defend our state's dignity and interests in independent growth, as well as to ensure the peaceful environment and security of our state.
Kim met with then-President Donald Trump for a series of summits in 2018-19 to discuss his growing nuclear arsenal. Their talks, however, broke down when Trump rejected Kim's demands for significant sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of his nuclear weapons, Business Today reported.
Related Article: North Korea TV Airs Cartoon Discussing Obesity, Overeating Amid Food Shortage
