Kim Jong-un 'suffering from discomfort', North Korea admits after leader's absence
PUBLISHED : Friday, 26 September, 2014, 6:25pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 27 September, 2014, 12:04am
Reuters in Seoul
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supposedly missed a key parliament meeting. Photo: Xinhua
Young North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is suffering from “discomfort”, state media has said in the first official acknowledgement of ill health after a prolonged period out of the public eye.
Kim, 31, who is frequently the centrepiece of the isolated country’s propaganda, has not been photographed by state media since appearing at a concert alongside his wife on September 3.
The absence fuelled speculation he is suffering from bad health.
He had been seen walking with a limp since an event with key officials in July and in a pre-recorded documentary broadcast by state media on Thursday appeared to have difficulty walking.
“The wealth and prosperity of our socialism is thanks to the painstaking efforts of our marshal, who keeps lighting the path for the people, like the flicker of a flame, despite suffering discomfort,” a voice-over for the hour-long documentary said.
The documentary was followed by a pre-recorded broadcast of a North Korean Supreme People's Assembly meeting from which Kim Jong-un was notably absent.
Kim has rapidly gained weight since coming to power after his father died of a heart attack in 2011, photos released by state media show.
North Korea observers speculate Kim's weight and family background may have contributed to his condition.
“Based on his gait, it appears he has gout -- something [due to] diet and genetic predisposition that has affected other members of the Kim family,” said Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership and contributor to the 38 North website.
The North Korean parliament in session minus Kim. Photo: Xinhua
Only part of the rubber-stamp parliament's meeting was shown on television. If Kim had indeed missed the meeting, it would be for the first time since he took power after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011, according to an official for South Korea's Unification Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.
The assembly normally meets once a year in April to rubber-stamp budgetary and personnel matters decided by the ruling party.
When the official Korea Central News Agency announced the date for this year's second session, it did not say what would be discussed by the nearly 700 people attending or how long the session would last.
North Korean media said yesterday that the assembly had approved the promotion of an official seen as a rising confidant of Kim's, Hwang Pyong-so, as the vice-chairman of the country's powerful National Defence Commission.
At the April session, Kim was re-elected as the commission's head. The last time the assembly met twice in one year was in 2012. In practice it has little power.
With additional reporting from Associated Press
