Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader who has mysteriously been missing from the public eye for almost a month, sparking rumours covering every possibility from a stroke to a coup d’etat, is merely recovering from ankle surgery, a South Korean newspaper claims.
Kim had fractured both of his ankles and had surgery in Pyongyang in the middle of September to treat them, the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s largest newspaper, reported citing an unnamed source.
“I heard that Kim Jong Un injured his right ankle in June after pushing ahead with on-site visits and ended up fracturing both ankles because he left the injury unattended,” the source was quoted as saying, adding that he had the operation at the Bonghwa Clinic, an exclusive hospital for high-ranking party members.
His problem wasn’t helped by wearing shes [sic] with Cuban heels to give him a taller appearance, Britain’s Daily Mail said.
Such is the fascination with North Korea, the world’s most impenetrable country, that rumours spread like wildfire. But they are almost always impossible to verify.
Nevertheless, it is true that Kim has become noticeably more rotund since he took over the leadership of North Korea from his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011.
The Mail said “obese Kim” had ballooned to about 130kgs and cited Swiss cheese as being a factor, which the 31-year-old reportedly developed a taste for while studying in Switzerland.
He was pictured limping in July during a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of his grandfather, former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, causing speculation about his health.
Full article: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un breaks both ankles (Stuff.co.nz)
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