Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Leader North Korea, Kim Jong-un, reappeared in public and looked skinny on the country’s Youth Day, Monday (30/8). His skin looked slack and the jacket he was wearing looked loose.
The shape of Kim’s facial bones is very visible, especially around the chin which is usually covered with fat folds six months ago.
The 37-year-old also wore a white jacket which showed there was an empty space between his neck and collar. The folds in the abdomen that usually look tight are not so visible.
Reuters reported that Kim appeared on state TV to celebrate North Korea’s Youth Day. He was seen walking in front of hundreds of school children who filled the stands.
As Kim waved and smiled, the girls were seen crying, while the boys clapped enthusiastically. They also chanted “Kim Jong Un.”
During the celebration, Kim also took pictures with thousands of North Korean youths. This raises questions when he is at another event, not taking photos together.
Kim expressed concern over disgruntled youths and influenced by foreign cultures, North Korean state media KCNA said in a letter published for Youth Day.
Kim also thanked the young men who were loyal to the party and encouraged the younger generation to be the party’s “reliable successors”.
“The ideological and mental condition of our young people is very good because they have always responded to the call of the country with strong loyalty,” Kim said, quoted from NK News, Monday (30/8).
Speculation about Kim’s health forced the government to ban gossip about his weight and was deemed a “reactionary act.”
The issue came after photos showed the dramatic change that Kim estimated to have lost about 44 pounds, or 19.9 kilograms.
According to an analysis of North Korean activity monitoring website 38 North, Kim is suspected of having managed to lose weight with medication or gastric surgery. He is also suspected of deliberately losing weight to maintain health in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last July, Kim Jong Un was also reportedly seen wearing a bandage on the back of his head. This raises conundrum over the health of the North Korean leader.
The bandages were seen in two different video footage of Kim attending military activities and a war veterans conference last June.
(isa/bac)
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