North Koreans broke down in tears overseeing a dramatically thinner Kim Jong Un, state TV cited a citizen as saying, allowing rare comments on the leader’s health that could also help build support as he seeks to revive a sickly economy.
People were “were most heartbroken when they saw the emaciated figure of the respected comrade general,” a Pyongyang citizen told Korean Central Television in comments broadcast Friday. “Everyone says that tears came out naturally,” said the man, whose name wasn’t given.
Kim, 37, returned to the public eye in June cutting a much thinner figure after being absent for most of May. During one appearance this month, he issued a rare warning that the “food situation is now getting tense.” The warning comes at a time of the year when food stocks typically run low and the bulk of this year’s harvest hasn’t yet been brought in.
By allowing comment on Kim’s weight, North Korea’s propaganda apparatus addressed a subject obviously to anyone watching the leader. It also supported a familiar theme in the myth-making of regime leaders, who are often portrayed as being so people-focused that they risk their own well-being.
“It is hard to say what caused Kim’s weight loss, or what his health conditions are, but right now they are using it for propaganda purposes, specifically to highlight his hard work and sacrifice to improve the people’s living standards,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a nonresident fellow with the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center.
The propaganda line has endured despite the ruling Kim family acquiring a massive fortune, palatial residences, a world-leading cognac collection, and a luxury armored train used for rare trips abroad. One of the clues that Kim lost weight came from his June 4 appearance where his $12,000 Swiss timepiece appeared to have been fastened tighter around his wrist, according to an analysis by NK News.
Kim may need political help. North Korea’s economy is on track to barely grow this year -- after its worst contraction in decades last year -- as the country struggles with the pandemic, border restrictions with China, and international sanctions to punish it for its nuclear weapons testing, Fitch Solutions said in April.
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