Is Kim Jong Un Going to Disappear Even More? Sources say North Korean Leader has had a GASTRIC BAND Fitted to Help Him Lose Weight -Amid Rumours of Cheese Addiction
- Lengthy absence fuelled questions over the state of Kim Jong-un's health
- But North Korean leader yesterday appeared in public for first time in weeks
- Reputable sources say he was undergoing weight loss treatment in China
- Kim missed a number of public events because he was recovering in Beijing
- Claims come amid rumours Kim has been putting his health at serious risk due to a dangerously high consumption of Emmental cheese
By MailonLine, 14 October 2014
The mystery over Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts for the past five weeks has deepened as a surprise new claim emerged suggesting he was receiving drastic weight loss treatment in China.
Following the leader's public re-emergence yesterday, the North Korean Ambassador in London, Hyon Hak Bong, told the BBC that there was ‘no doubt about it’ that Kim was healthy.
But his comments came as a source told the Daily Mail that the 31-year-old had spent the past few weeks in a Beijing hospital having his stomach tied, or ‘banded’, to help him fight his weight gain.
Last month it was claimed Kim has been putting his health at serious risk due to his dangerously high consumption of Emmental cheese, which he got a taste for while a student in Switzerland.
Kim has finally resurfaced with the help of a walking stick after an unexplained and prolonged absence
Recent appearance: North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un had last been seen in the state media five weeks ago at a concert on September 3 (above centre, with his wife Ri Sol-Ju), and he missed several high-profile events
Joy: Kim Jong-un inspects a substance believed to be cheese at a North Korean factory. A unhealthy appetite for Emmental is believed to be a key factor in Kim's weight ballooning in recent months
Issues: Kim is reported to be suffering from gout, from diabetes, from a brain haemorrhage, from a heart ailment, from a leg injury that required surgery from a doctor, from mental illness or from a cheese addiction
The reputable source, who has connections with intelligence agencies in the West, said Kim’s stay in hospital in China was the reason for his no-show at the recent 69th anniversary celebrations of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party.
He has also been treated in recent weeks for sprains or fractures, to his ankles - a problem that developed after he injured a leg while joining troops in a military exercise in August.
It has since been speculated that, as he continued to limp around, his weight added to the pressure on both legs, resulting in him seeking medical treatment for both that injury and his weight gain.
A unhealthy appetite for Emmental, also known as Swiss cheese, is believed to be a key factor in Kim's weight ballooning in recent months.
Experts believe Kim may have been deliberately gaining weight in order to look more like his late grandfather Kim Il-sung, who is venerated in North Korea as the nation's founder and still holds the title Eternal President of the Republic, despite having died 20 years ago.
Kim Jong-un is back! Leader reappears in public:
His absence fuelled speculation about his health and even rumours of a coup in the nuclear-armed state
Smiling: This photograph from North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during an inspection tour of a newly-built housing complex in Pyongyang
Another photograph from Rodong Sinmun of Kim during an inspection tour of a newly-built housing complex
Enemy: A South Korean man watches a TV news program showing Kim Jong-un using his cane yesterday
Not un-well: TV monitors in South Korea show a news report about the health of the North Korean leader. The captions mockingly refer to the 'Honorable Kim Jong-un'
The Ambassador’s comment that Kim was healthy would still hold true even if the leader was in hospital, as stomach banding would be classified as cosmetic, rather than treatment for an illness.
The North Korean regime has made no mention of Kim being in Beijing and the claim by the source - a former government official of a European country who retains close ties with Western intelligence agencies - could not be independently verified.
But Pyongyang officials have admitted that Kim has been suffering ‘discomfort’ - while emphasising that he is still very much in control of the country.
Kim Jong-un's unhealthy obsession with Emmental has led to him importing vast quantities of the cheese for his own consumption - despite millions of North Koreans struggling to find enough to eat.
The mystery over Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts had deepened as a surprise new claim emerged suggesting he was receiving drastic weight loss treatment in China
Kim has been treated in recent weeks for sprains or fractures, to his ankles - a problem that developed after he injured a leg while joining troops in a military exercise in August
Weight gain: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un got a taste for the cheese while a student in Switzerland - and is understood to love it so much that he imports vast quantities despite Western sanctions
Adored: Earlier this year it was revealed that Kim Jong-un tried to send a team of food experts to the French city of Besancon for a crash course in dairy production so he would no longer have to import his cheese
Malnutrition is widespread and famines often break out in the country, which is still reliant on foreign food aid as a result of economic mismanagement and the loss of Soviet support in the 1990s.
But despite the suffering of his 25 million citizens, Kim continues to gorge on Swiss cheese in such vast quantities that his waistline is expanding at a dangerously rapid rate.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Kim tried to send a team of food experts to the French city of Besancon for a crash course in dairy production.
Tired of his country's bland attempts to produce a top quality local cheese the despot ordered the three specialists to spend several months at the National Dairy Industry College.
Although the college 'politely but firmly' rejected the request, Kim remains determined to improve standards at the country's main cheese factory.
He is understood to be furious that the Pyongyang Dairy has continually failed to produce an Emmental-style cheese of a high enough quality to satisfy his demands.