Officials in North Korea seek medicine for Kim Jong Un's health problems related to obesity, Seoul says

SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Jong Un is more obese than ever, and his deputies are looking for foreign medicines to treat him for high blood pressure and diabetes, South Korean officials said Tuesday.

“He could have been suffering from medical conditions that are difficult to deal with the currently available medicine,” South Korean lawmakers Lee Seong-Kwuen and Park Sunwon said at a joint briefing, quoting Seoul’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, or NIS.

Kim, 40, weighs about 308 pounds, they said, adding that the agency believes it is his heaviest ever. That puts him at a “high risk” of heart disease, they said, adding that he has been showing signs of high blood pressure and diabetes since his early 30s.

“We concluded that his health issues are likely due to stress, smoking and drinking,” the NIS was quoted as saying by Lee, of the ruling People Power party, and Park, of the opposition Democratic party.

If the conditions are left untreated, they added, Kim could be affected by hereditary cardiovascular diseases, as both a grandfather and his father, who ruled the reclusive communist regime before him, died of heart issues. 

Kim was looking for “alternative medicinal substances,” the lawmakers said, which has prompted speculation that he was suffering from conditions that cannot be treated immediately.

Kim, whom the NIS previously estimated to be 5 feet, 7 inches tall, appeared to have lost about 44 pounds just three years ago.

State media video at the time also showed a leaner Kim, raising concerns about his health, but observers said the weight loss was most likely due to a diet change by Kim, who wanted to improve his physique and increase public loyalty.

But recent video showed Kim has most likely regained weight.

• Add to Google

Putin and Kim Jong Un sign strategic partnership, deepening ties

01:36

While there is no way for outsiders to know Kim’s exact health, Seoul’s spy agency has relied on artificial intelligence techniques and forensic video analysis to investigate his condition. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Kim’s health remains a top concern abroad, as he has not formally anointed a successor in the nuclear-armed nation, which is increasing its confrontation with the U.S. and its treaty ally South Korea. He has also been bolstering his personality cult, trying to cement his status as the ruler of the regime and win public support amid economic woes.

Despite the lack of a formal announcement, the NIS believes Kim’s preteen daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is most likely the heir apparent, with most of her public appearances involving attending military activities with her father.

She is believed to be 10 or 11 years old and first appeared in 2022 alongside Kim as they watched an intercontinental ballistic missile test and subsequently attended a massive military parade.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Still, the NIS says, it is possible she might be replaced by her other siblings.

Stella Kim reported from Seoul and Mithil Aggarwal from Hong Kong.