- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Kim Jong Un May Be Suffering from Gout: South Korean Media

Subscribe
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was nowhere to be found during the second session of the country’s parliament this Thursday, and hasn’t appeared in public for over three weeks, leading to speculation among the South Korean media that he may be suffering from gout.

MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was nowhere to be found during the second session of the country’s parliament this Thursday, and hasn’t appeared in public for over three weeks, leading to speculation among the South Korean media that he may be suffering from gout.

South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted an unnamed source said to be familiar with North Korea, stating that “Kim Jong Un is suffering from gout…along with hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.”

The source mentions that Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather Kim Il Sung also suffered from the disease.

The speculation is based in part on North Korean state television footage of Kim limping at a ceremony in July to mark the 20th anniversary of his grandfather’s death.

South Korean officials were careful in their response; a spokesperson from the country’s Ministry of Unification said only that they are monitoring the situation, and noting that “North Korea has not made any official announcement…so we don’t have anything to comment on.”

The secretive nature of the regime makes it difficult to verify any speculation about Kim’s health. Another possible reasons for the limp include an injury Kim may have sustained while providing “guidance” to North Korean athletes preparing for the Asian Games, or that he has decided to rest from a hectic summer schedule, which included trips to remote military outposts, ChannelNewsAsia.com has noted.

Kim’s weight problem has been the butt of jokes on the internet ever since he succeeded his father in 2011. Sources from South Korea’s tabloid press regularly make bizarre claims about events in the country, including claims that Kim had had people executed using mortars and flamethrowers, and stories that men in the country have been forced to copy the leader’s haircut. Some of these claims have since been disproven.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала