Kim Jong-un's latest photos hold clues about mysterious disappearance, think experts: 'He's ashen and bloated'
North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un's first public appearance was reported on May 2, nearly 20 days after his mysterious disappearance, as the state media released pictures of the dictator. The photos, however, drew overt scrutiny as analysts searched for visual clues in them about the Pyongyang leader's health and his absence in the last few days.
As pictures of Kim's visit to a fertilizer factory northeast of Pyongyang were shared on Saturday, May 2, experts noted a marked change in the 36-year-old's appearance. Kim has gained considerable weight since taking power in 2011 and the photos did not show any signs of weight loss that would have comes with a serious health condition. The hermit nation's leader was pictured wearing a Mao suit and sporting an apparent fresh hair cut.
Reports of Kim's ill health or possible death emerged last month after a South Korean outlet, Daily NK, claimed that Kim had undergone a cardiovascular system procedure in Pyongyang on April 12 because of "excessive smoking, obesity and overworking". Kim's health came under scrutiny after he gave a miss to an annual visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun for the 108th birthday of his late grandfather, state founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.
The director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Jeffrey Lewis, quipped on Twitter: "Well, I wouldn’t say Kim looks healthy, but he definitely doesn’t look dead." While another user with the handle @MaryMaryQ3 agreed, stating that the dictator looked "ashy and bloated."
The pictures also showed Kim's entourage at the event, which included his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, who was among those standing closest to Kim in multiple pictures from the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory visit.
The BloombergQuint reported that such proximity is often used by North Korean propaganda organs to suggest the leader's favor. According to Jeongmin Kim, a correspondent with the Seoul-based NK News website, Kim Yo-jong appeared to be wearing makeup and a hairband which were new additions to her look. The outlet suggested that a change in her appearance reflected that she was aware of her higher status in the nation.
It was reported last week that Yo-jong is set to be promoted to be the official "successor" of the hermit nation, fuelling further speculations about her brother's ill health or possible death. Kim Yo-jong's promotion will make her the most important figure in Pyongyang after her brother, who also held the same role when his father, Kim Jong-il, died in 2011.
It was reported on Tuesday, April 29, that the state's National Assembly wishes to expand her role to become "party center" in an attempt to strengthen the sovereignty of the "blood lineage." Kim Yo-jong's new powerful position would make her "party center responsible for the party's only leadership system."
The pictures also showed at least one member of Kim's entourage wearing a face mask, fuelling speculations that the novel coronavirus is a concern in North Korea. It was reported last month that Kim was in self-quarantine after one of his bodyguards was confirmed to have Covid-19. The dictator's regime, however, has maintained that the country has no cases of the deadly viral infection.