South Korean intelligence officials suspect North Korean leader Kim Jong Un suffers from insomnia and engages in heavy drinking and smoking.
Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, executive secretary of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that the National Intelligence Service believes Kim Jong Un "may be suffering from a severe sleep disorder and excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption."
South Korea Spies: Kim Jong Un Suffers Insomnia, Addiction
The espionage service discovered that North Korean authorities were "hoarding" medications used to treat insomnia, such as Zolpidem, and large quantities of alcohol and cigarettes of foreign brands, such as Marlboro and Dunhill.
Marks around Kim Jong Un's wrist and on his arm that appear to be scratch wounds were also noted by the intelligence agency, he explained. The scars are believed to be the consequence of a skin condition brought on by tension and an allergic reaction.
Based on an analysis aided by artificial intelligence, Kim Jong Un is estimated to weigh approximately 140 kilograms, Korea Herald reported. Due to the lack of information crossing the border, Kim Jong Un's health is the subject of rumors and conjecture in the South, as per Big News Network.
National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Kim Kyou-Hyun told a parliamentary committee that based on medications purchased abroad for North Korean officials, "Chairman Kim suffers from significant sleep disorders," a ruling People Power Party lawmaker told Yonhap News Agency following the closed-door briefing.
Yoo reported that the head of the NIC stated that Kim is becoming increasingly dependent on alcohol and nicotine. During this month's public appearance, Kim "looked very fatigued with noticeable black circles under his eyes."
According to the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale, based on Kim's height, he is overweight. Pyongyang rarely issues official statements on Kim's health, and reports from the NIS are among the few sources of information on his well-being outside of South Korean and international media speculation and conjecture.
Kim vanished from public life for several weeks in 2020, 2021, and at the start of this year, prompting a flurry of news articles about his potential mortality each time. Frequently, the reality is more mundane. When Kim emerged from a brief public hiatus in 2021 visibly thinner, North Korean state media reported that he had been dieting "for the good of the nation," the NIS concluded that he had no health problems.
After turning 39, it was alleged earlier this year that the dictator is experiencing a midlife crisis. Choi Jinwook, a North Korean scholar based in Seoul, asserts that, as Kim Jong Un approaches 40, he faces new health and safety concerns.
Doctors and his wife have urged the leader of North Korea to cut back and exercise more frequently, but he appears to be disregarding their advice. According to reports, Kim Jong Un is so concerned about his health that he brings his commode on his rare international visits to prevent agents from examining his feces for clues.
According to Mirror, Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, died of heart failure at age 69 in 2011, and the Supreme Leader's anxiety may result from his father's demise. Kim Jong Il reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008, enjoyed cigars, cognac, and haute cuisine, and was believed to have suffered from diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Anna Fifield, an expert on North Korea, told the Telegraph that Kim Jong Un had an "aberrant adolescence" and grew up in a "dysfunctional family." She added, "From a very young age, he was regarded as a princeling in a manner that not even the British Royal family would do."
North Korea Nuclear Missile Test
According to the intelligence agency, North Koreans' living conditions have deteriorated. The occurrence of violent crimes has increased by a factor of three this year compared to the same period last year.
This year's hunger-related deaths are three times higher than they were at this time last year. The price of maize and corn increased by 30 percent and 60 percent, respectively, year over year.
Additionally, suicide deaths increased by 40 percent compared to the previous year. In May, the proliferation of "fever" cases in Pyongyang resulted in another round of travel restrictions into and out of the city. The intelligence agency estimates it would take at least several weeks for North Korea to attempt another launch of a military reconnaissance satellite.
North Korea has sworn to launch a second missile. However, it will likely take some time to fix the flaw in the propulsion system that the intelligence agency believes contributed to the failure of the first attempt on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, North Korea has recently failed to launch a satellite into orbit but has promised to resume efforts shortly. This incident prompted the Seoul government to issue a false emergency alert, which caused pandemonium. Per NDTV, the South Korean intelligence agency informed legislators that the North Korean leader most likely observed the launch.
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