Has Kim Jong-un been jet-skiing & partying on his pleasure boat while missing amid weight loss health fears?
KIM Jong-un has apparently been partying on his pleasure boat and splashing about on a jet ski while he remains out of the spotlight amid health fears.
The camera-shy North Korean dictator appeared noticeably slimmer in startling pics released last week after previously weighing a hefty 22 stone, prompting concerns over his rapid weight loss.
It was the first time Kim had been seen in more than a month after he did yet another one of his vanishing acts.
The whopping weight loss comes after he was not seen in public for a long time last year, fuelling speculation he dropped the pounds following a period of ill health - possibly after contracting coronavirus.
Members of Kim's inner circle apparently fell ill with Covid in April last year at height of the pandemic, although it's not clear if Kim caught it.
He also underwent a big cardiovascular procedure around the same time, according to Seoul-based website Daily NK.
And new analysis by of satellite images from suggests Kim is spending time away at his east coast mansion complex with his family and friends amid fears for his health.
The images appear to show and a bunch of his pals riding jet skis in the waters off his Wonsan resort earlier this month.
At least 10 of the watercrafts were apparently spotted zipping back and forth between Kim’s private beach at Wonsan and Tae Island, located just off the Kalma Peninsula, on June 6 and 13.
And Kim’s newly refurbished 180 foot luxury boat also appeared to be anchored in the sea off the island on June 9, 12 and 13 in the images.
It appears the boat could be the same vessel famously used during a visit by NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman, who was once a guest at the secretive resort.
The recent activity suggests Kim and his gang are spending weekends enjoying his retreat between important political meetings in Pyongyang.
But it could be Kim's friends and family using the jet skis, or they could even be part of military activities, NK News reports.
Pics of Kim addressing a politburo meeting earlier this month show he appears to have lost a "significant amount of weight".
published the photos, suggesting Kim had even tightened the strap on his favourite IWC Portofino £10,000 watch.
Kim has struggled with his health as as result of his spiralling weight and his fridge-raiding lifestyle.
Pictures show that while he has never been slim, he has ballooned in size since he first appeared on the world’s stage.
South Korea’s national intelligence unit said it believed he topped 22 stone last year and had gained an average stone a year since coming to power in 2011.
He is said to be a prolific binge eater with a poor diet who is theorised to suffer health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and gout.
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Kim has an allegedly legendary appetite, gorging himself on Swiss cheese, caviar and lobster while drinking up to ten bottles of wine in a night.
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A study by Johns Hopkins University found severe obesity was linked to a fourfold increase in heart failure - putting Kim at risk of health problems.
One analyst told NK News the leader may have decided to lose weight recently to improve his standing amongst his people.