North Koreans heartbroken over 'emaciated' Kim Jong Un, says Pyongyang resident

The rare public comment on Mr Kim Jong Un's health comes after foreign analysts said he seemed to have lost weight. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL (REUTERS) - Everyone in North Korea is heartbroken over leader Kim Jong Un's apparent weight loss, said an unidentified resident of Pyongyang quoted on the country's tightly controlled state media, after watching recent video footage of Mr Kim.

The rare public comment on Mr Kim's health comes after foreign analysts noted in early June that the autocratic leader, who is believed to be 37, appeared to have lost a noticeable amount of weight.

"Seeing respected general secretary (Kim Jong Un) looking emaciated breaks our people's heart so much," the man said in an interview aired by state broadcaster KRT last Friday (June 25).

"Everyone is saying their tears welled up," he said.

In the clip, which Reuters could not independently verify, Pyongyang residents were seen watching a big screen on the street showing a concert attended by Mr Kim and party officials after a plenary meeting of their Workers' Party of Korea.

Remote video URL

The broadcast did not provide any details on what led to the weight loss.

When Mr Kim reappeared in the state media in June after not being seen in public for almost a month, analysts at NK News, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea, noted that his watch appeared to be fastened more tightly than before around an apparently slimmer wrist.

Given Mr Kim's tight grip on power in North Korea - and the uncertainty over any plans for a successor - the international media, spy agencies and specialists closely watch his health.

Early last year, speculation about his health exploded after he missed the birth anniversary celebrations of state founder Kim Il Sung on April 15, only to reappear in public in early May.

In 2014, the state media reported that Mr Kim Jong Un was suffering from "discomfort", after a prolonged period out of the public eye.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.