Is Kim Jong Un's Weight Loss Due to Health Condition or Food Shortage? North Koreans Heartbroken Over His Looks

North Koreans raised concerns over Kim Jong Un's weight loss as the leader admits to growing economic problems, including food shortage. His "emaciated appearance" worried citizens, a state media quoted one resident.

According to some experts, Kim Jong Un's statements were made in an attempt to increase domestic support for his efforts as he deals with growing economic problems brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, mismanagement, UN economic sanctions, and natural catastrophes. Kim appears to have dropped a significant amount of weight in recent state-run media photographs.

North Korean watchdog looking into Kim Jong Un's health

Kim, who measures around 170 centimeters (5 feet, 8 inches) tall and weighs 140 kilograms (308 pounds), may have shed 10-20 kilos (22-44 pounds), some North Korean watchers estimated. Outside observers are paying close attention to Kim's health since the 37-year-old leader has yet to appoint a successor to command North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, which is aimed at the United States and its allies.

Two recent clips shown on Korea Central Television, the country's primary television channel, have reportedly raised concerns about the Supreme Leader's health. One clip showed him going to a concert, and it could be observed that the Korean leader has lost so much weight.

North Korea’s tightly controlled state media offered a rare public segment on leader Kim Jong Un’s apparent weight loss, but did not provide details https://t.co/RhQEqL7dXH pic.twitter.com/8jtQBVjuvt
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 28, 2021

A second clip was of an anonymous Pyongyang resident who said on Friday's major broadcast on Central TV: "Seeing him become emaciated like that, we all became so sad. Everyone just started to cry," he stated.

Kwak Gil Seob, the founder of One Korea Center, a North Korean-focused website, told the BBC that the Pyongyang regime "would never allow bad news about Kim Jong Un to be released," implying that the video was shown to indicate that Kim Jong-un is losing weight on his own.

Is Kim Jong Un's weight loss related to food shortage?

Kim discussed the country's food shortage and economic problems. He encouraged officials to address the problem of poor agricultural output, blaming it on last summer's typhoons that swept away most of the crops for this year's supply. Kim's government is seeking to draw public support for him by holding interviews about his weight loss as the country's economic condition worsens, said Nam Sung-Wook, a professor of North Korean studies at South Korea's Korea University.

Whatever the cause of Kim Jong Un's weight loss is, the shift is most likely unintentional, said a former Seoul official and North Korean policy expert. Despite Kim's known smoking habits and his usual obese physique, which greatly affects his health, a South Korean analyst said his weight loss is unlikely to be an indication of serious disease.

Kim Chun-sig, a former official stated, "In North Korea, being overweight is a sign of authority and power. That's why Kim Jong Un gained weight in the first place and why he is unlikely to have lost weight on purpose," as per Washington Examiner.

North Korea's COVID-19 policy could lead to starvation

Kim Jong Un has openly admitted that the nation is experiencing a food shortage. One such threat, according to Kim, is the risk of famine, similar to the country's "arduous march" in the late 1990s, when millions died due to widespread hunger. North Korea has been even more isolated as a result of Kim's COVID-19 response, which may have caused food shortages that could affect millions, as per Scroll.

Kim's thinner appearance might be due to a lack of access to the food he used to enjoy. North Korea is currently subjected to international sanctions to date, which were imposed in 2017 in response to its sixth nuclear test.

The United Nations imposed the first sanctions in 2006 in response to North Korea's ballistic missile launches. In the following year after the nation conducted its first nuclear test, the sanctions were increased. The COVID-19 border shutdown is said to have impacted the North Korean economy even more than the sanctions, leading to a more than 50% drop in trade with China in comparison to 2018.

The lack of access to agricultural products such as fertilizers and machinery has made it difficult for North Koreans to harvest enough grain as a result of the border restriction. Imports of food and humanitarian supplies are also prohibited owing to the shutdown.