ESG Telegraph
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Environment
  • Companies
  • Investors
  • Governance
  • Markets
  • Social
  • Regulators
  • Sustainable Finance
Featured Posts
    • Companies
    Bayern Munich targets US fans to close financial gap with Premier League
    • August 9, 2022
    • Markets
    Sweden’s junior market becomes Europe’s hottest for growth stocks
    • August 9, 2022
    • Latest News
    Tibetan cities locked down over first Covid outbreak in two years
    • August 9, 2022
    • Companies
    London’s ‘magic circle’ law firms make renewed bid to crack US
    • August 9, 2022
    • Markets
    Fed help isn’t coming | Financial Times
    • August 9, 2022
Featured Categories
Belarussia
View Posts
Companies
View Posts
Energy
View Posts
Environment
View Posts
Food
View Posts
Governance
View Posts
Health
View Posts
Investors
View Posts
Latest News
View Posts
Markets
View Posts
Potash
View Posts
Regulators
View Posts
Russsia
View Posts
Social
View Posts
Supply Chain
View Posts
Sustainable Finance
View Posts
Technology
View Posts
Uncategorized
View Posts
ESG Telegraph ESG Telegraph
7K
9K
4K
1K
ESG Telegraph ESG Telegraph
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Environment
  • Companies
  • Investors
  • Governance
  • Markets
  • Social
  • Regulators
  • Sustainable Finance
  • Latest News

Kim Jong Un ‘withered away’ on behalf of North Koreans, says state TV

  • February 3, 2022
  • Staff
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Kim Jong Un’s body “completely withered away” as he “suffered” on behalf of his people during chronic food shortages, according to a state television documentary that has intensified speculation about his health and the future of the North Korean regime.

The dictator, who marked 10 years in power in December, is known for his indulgence of alcohol and cigarettes, while his family has a history of diabetes and heart disease.

His visible weight loss over a matter of weeks in the early summer of 2020 prompted feverish speculation as to the future of his regime, with North Korea watchers and foreign intelligence agencies rushing to assess the state of Kim’s health.

So protective is his regime about details of his health that, according to defector testimonies, he travelled with his own toilet facilities to a series of summits with Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019 to prevent foreign powers from gaining access to his stool samples for analysis.

“The region’s security depends to a large extent on the state of the North Korean leadership, and the state of the North Korean leadership depends to a large extent on Kim Jong Un’s health,” said Colin Zwirko, a senior analyst at NK Pro, a Seoul-based information service. “That’s why it matters so much.”

This week’s documentary, which intercut scenes of Kim watching the sunrise over a beach from atop a white horse with images of tanks conducting firing drills, acknowledged the country’s “food crisis” while making oblique references to Kim’s dramatic weight loss.

The UN has estimated that 40 per cent of North Koreans are suffering food insecurity © Jon Chol Jin/AP

“[Kim] showed us his fatherly side by doggedly braving snow, rain and wind while taking on the fate of the nation and people like his own children,” a narrator said, implying that Kim’s weight loss had been a result of his hard work.

“His body completely withered away, and he showed his motherly side by greatly suffering and worrying to realise the dreams of the people.”

North Korean television has previously emphasised Kim’s devotion to his people by setting scenes of him climbing a ladder to dramatic music, and highlighting his willingness for his luxury cars to be spattered in mud during visits to rural areas.

The country is enduring a self-acknowledged “food crisis” amid international sanctions, border closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and a miserable harvest last summer after crops were damaged by heatwaves and flash flooding.

The UN has estimated that 40 per cent of North Koreans experience food insecurity, with many suffering from malnourishment and stunted growth. Children, the elderly and prisoners are most at risk of starvation.

But Zwirko noted that Kim had also dedicated time and resources to upgrading his own network of luxury compounds, building mansions and upgrading several luxury boats moored off private beaches on the country’s east coast.

“Internal North Korean propaganda tends not to hide the country’s own problems,” said Peter Ward, a Seoul-based North Korea expert at the University of Vienna.

“Rather, it hides the fact that people are living so much better elsewhere, whether that is in any of North Korea’s neighbours or indeed in North Korea itself.”

Zwirko added that “we don’t know if Kim is sick — or if he is sick, what might come after him. All we do know is that he is not the reformer that many hoped he would be when he assumed power a decade ago.”

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
You May Also Like
Read More
  • Latest News

Tibetan cities locked down over first Covid outbreak in two years

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

News Corp profits almost double as subscriptions drive post-pandemic recovery

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

Investors divided over how long Big Tech rally will last

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

Tech sector tax windfall shores up Ireland’s economy against recession

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

Embattled Trump fans dig in at Michigan county fair

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

Demography is not destiny | Financial Times

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

Xi Jinping grasps ‘knife’ of internal security to complete grip on power

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022
Read More
  • Latest News

Trump says FBI agents have raided his Mar-a-Lago residence

  • Staff
  • August 9, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured Posts
  • 1
    Bayern Munich targets US fans to close financial gap with Premier League
    • August 9, 2022
  • 2
    Sweden’s junior market becomes Europe’s hottest for growth stocks
    • August 9, 2022
  • 3
    Tibetan cities locked down over first Covid outbreak in two years
    • August 9, 2022
  • 4
    London’s ‘magic circle’ law firms make renewed bid to crack US
    • August 9, 2022
  • 5
    Fed help isn’t coming | Financial Times
    • August 9, 2022
Recent Posts
  • News Corp profits almost double as subscriptions drive post-pandemic recovery
    • August 9, 2022
  • FirstFT: Rishi Sunak promises to ease cost of living crisis
    • August 9, 2022
  • Investors divided over how long Big Tech rally will last
    • August 9, 2022

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Subscribe now to our newsletter

ESG Telegraph
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Guest Post
  • Contact

Input your search keywords and press Enter.