North Korean state media quoted local residents as saying that North Koreans have been crying over the “wasting” of leader Kim Jong-un. In a very unusual broadcast, they rarely admitted foreign speculation about Kim Jong-un’s weight loss.
These comments—in a country that almost always prohibits public discussion of leaders’ health and personal lives—are seen as efforts to increase domestic resistance to Kim Jong Un as he struggles to cope with the growing economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support, some experts say, sanctions imposed due to its nuclear program and natural disasters.
“When we see our people, their hearts hurt the most [Kim’s] Looks haggard,” North Korean national television quoted the unidentified man as saying on Friday. “Everyone said that their tears came naturally. “