Kim Jong-un rumoured to have undergone plastic surgery

[Wei Yan]

Kim Jong-un rumoured to have undergone plastic surgery

Kim Jong-un, the heir to the North Korean regime, has reportedly undergone plastic surgery so that he more closely resembles his grandfather, the deeply respected Kim Il-sung.

By Julian Ryall in Tokyo
Published: 6:55AM BST 05 Oct 2010

Kim Il-Sung (centre) with his son Kim Jong Il (left) and the 27-year-old Kim Jong-Un Photo: REUTERS/REX FEATURES

Kim Jong-Un Photo: AFP

The speculation began in South Korea after the release last week of the first official photographs of the 27-year-old son of Kim Jong-il. The images show a chubby, nervous looking young man sitting in the front row of a packed auditorium as he was named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party and a four-star general. In the images, the family resemblance between Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-un is obvious.

The youngest in the Kim dynasty has the same chubby cheeks as his grandfather, a double chin and the familiar mouth that turns down at the ends. He also apparently favours his predecessor's preference for having his hair cut very short at the sides and swept back on top. The images are in stark contrast to previous photographs, which depict Kim as a slender teenager who looks nothing like his paternal grandfather. South Korean newspapers suggested that in the intervening years he had undergone surgery to boost his standing with the public.

The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper reported that Pyongyang was hoping to cement Kim's position as the country's next leader through a "reincarnation of North Korea's late founder." "A lot of people in South Korea have pointed out that Kim's face is very different from when he was young, particularly the shape of his chin," Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and author of a number of books on the North Korean leadership, told The Daily Telegraph.

"From previous photos, everyone had remarked that he looked nothing like his grandfather, so the change is quite dramatic," he said. The JoongAng Sunday newspaper reported that it had secretly interviewed three people in North Korea by mobile phone and that there has been similar speculation in the North since their new leader-in-waiting was unveiled.

 

[Sun Ce]

N. Korean leader's son Kim Jong-un goes under knife to look like grandpa

North Korea's founder and former leader Kim Il-sung (left), his son and current leader Kim Jong-il (centre) and the person believed to be the latter's youngest son, Kim Jong-un (right)


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Family business: Kim Jong-un (left) is being lined up to follow in the footsteps of his father Kim Jong-il (right)

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Speculation is rife that the heir to the North Korean regime, Kim Jong-un , has undergone plastic surgery so that he more closely resembles his late grandfather Kim Il-sung. The rumours began in South Korea after the release last week of the first official photographs of the 27-year-old son of North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il , the Daily Telegraph reported.

The images show a chubby , nervous-looking young man sitting in the front row of a packed auditorium as he was named vice chairman of the central military commission of the Workers' Party and a four-star general. The youngest in the Kim dynasty has the same chubby cheeks as his grandfather , a double chin and familiar mouth that turns down at the ends.

He also apparently favours his father's preference for having his hair cut very short at the sides. The images are in contrast to previous photos, which depict Kim as a slim teenager who looks nothing like his grandfather.


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