North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has appeared in current days with a bandage about the size of a couple of postage stamps on the back of his head, in the newest episode to stoke speculation about the reclusive leader’s wellness.
The bandage was visible in state media pictures when Kim appeared at a Korean People’s Army occasion from July 24 to 27, according to NK News internet site and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. There have been also pictures at events in late July in which the bandage was gone and a dark greenish spot was visible, they stated, citing a assessment of North Korean state media.
While the leader’s wellness is one of the mainly closely guarded secrets in North Korea, it has permitted uncommon glimpses into the 37-year-old leader’s situation as he tries to revive the economy and battles meals shortages. State propaganda for decades has portrayed the supreme leaders as becoming so persons-focused that they danger their personal well-being.
Mysterious spot and bandage seem on back of Kim Jong Un’s head https://t.co/IaRCEzzyTRpic.twitter.com/jd2Ppz7jdX
— Chad O’Carroll (@chadocl) August 2, 2021
In June, state media cited a citizen as saying North Koreans broke down in tears more than seeing a drastically thinner Kim, who returned to the public eye cutting a a lot thinner figure soon after becoming absent for most of May.
Kim keeps his hair shaved under the level of his temple, creating it hard to hide any blemishes on the back of his head. By releasing the pictures to the outdoors world, North Korea offered fodder for spy agencies searching for clues on Kim’s wellness.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes there have been no uncommon indicators with regards to Kim’s wellness, the Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday. It cited lawmakers who had been briefed by the spy agency, which added the patch was removed soon after a couple of days and there was no scar.
NK News, a specialty service focusing on the nation, stated there was no mark on the back of Kim’s head in images released by state media when he attended a July 11 occasion with musicians, adding the leader probably spent time soon after that at a beachfront mansion in Wonsan.
After a prolonged absence last year that raised concern about the stability of his regime, Kim emerged for a May Day 2020 occasion at a fertilizer factory with marks on his wrists that fueled speculation he could have had a health-related process.
Kim — overweight and a smoker — has been the topic of wellness speculation for years. His longest absence from the public eye was six weeks in 2014. When he did reappear, he was walking with a cane, raising speculation he could be suffering from gout.
His grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung had an just about tennis ball-sized development on the back of his neck, which was caught in photographs on international trips more than the years. His propaganda machine made sure it was in no way shown to his public.
Kim Jong Un is facing one of the most hard periods of his rule that began in late 2011. The economy in 2020 posted its sharpest drop in more than two decades due to the coronavirus, all-natural disasters and international sanctions, according to South Korean central bank information released last week. Gross domestic solution was smaller sized last year than when Kim took more than, it stated.
North Korea is demanding permission to export minerals as properly as import refined oil and other essentials as prerequisites for reviving dialogue with the U.S., South Korean spy agency officials told lawmakers, according to Yonhap. Some of these essentials integrated fine liquor and suits, they stated.
Pyongyang’s current warning against upcoming joint U.S.-South Korea military drills shows it is prepared to take some corresponding measure if the workouts are halted, the spy agency stated. Kim Jong Un’s sister cautioned this week the drills could jeopardize talks with Seoul, a move that reinforced worries North Korea may possibly use South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s want for dialogue to attempt to force him to break with the U.S.
The North Korean leader in current months has issued uncommon warnings of financial struggles and meals shortages but so far has shown no indication he’s prepared to return to discussions on lowering his nuclear arsenal in return for financial incentives.
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