June 28, 2021, 04:14 PM
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
North Koreans are heartbroken over their leader's apparent weight loss following his public reappearance earlier this month, according to Reuters.
North Koreans are worried over Kim Jong Un's apparent weight loss, said an unidentified resident of Pyongyang quoted on the country's tightly controlled state media https://t.co/RhQEqKPCz7 pic.twitter.com/X2ErnH5dOI
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 27, 2021
NK News, a Seoul-based website that provides analyses on North Korea, showed a middle-aged man from Pyongyang in an interview on North Korea's state television:
"Seeing our respected comrade General Secretary [Kim Jong Un] become emaciated like that, all the people became so heartbroken".
The man also added that everyone was "talking about it, we all just started to cry".
Cause of weight loss still unclear
In the video clip, Pyongyang residents were seen watching Kim via a big screen on the street.
The televised broadcast was of a concert attended by Kim and other party officials, after a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), Reuters reported.
On June 8, foreign observers had pointed out that the 37-year-old leader appeared to have lost a good deal of weight, according to NK News.
The speculation came after analysts compared state media images of his US$12,000 (S$15,886) IWC Portofino Automatic luxury watch; the watch appeared to be fastened more tightly during Kim's public reappearance on June 5, indicating a slimmer wrist.
Kim's weight is closely monitored by foreign intelligence agencies as it's an indicator for his health.
Kim's health in turn provides clues to his political position and the stability of the regime in the country.
No details on what led to the weight loss were revealed in the recent broadcast.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.