Kim Jong Un ‘is suffering from insomnia, weighs well over 300lb and is becoming more dependent on cigarettes and alcohol’
- Large imports of foreign cigarettes are being brought into North Korea
- South Korea’s spy agency said it was monitoring Kim’s poor state of health
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be suffering from insomnia as well as alcohol and nicotine dependency, South Korea‘s intelligence agency has said.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) delivered a report on Wednesday, claiming that Kim’s unhealthy habits mean he may weigh well over 300lb (almost 140kg).
The report said the South had intelligence that North Korea’s top officials had been scrambling to gather information on insomnia and the medication needed to treat the sleep disorder.
South Korea’s spy agency said it was monitoring Kim’s health and believed he may be on the verge of falling into a vicious cycle of alcohol and nicotine abuse that would be perpetuated by his insomnia.
A large import of foreign cigarettes and expensive snacks has recently been monitored arriving in the country, officials said, despite the country’s food crisis.
Kim Jong Un holding a cigarette in Pyongyang, North Korea, surrounded by military officials and his daughter (left)
A smiling Kim Jong Un with a lit cigarette perched between his fingers
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un drinks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a truce inside the demilitarized zone on April 27, 2018
‘Based on the fact that North Korean authorities have been actively collecting the latest medical information, including medications such as zolpidem, for the treatment of insomnia in high-ranking officials abroad in April, the NIS estimates Chairman Kim is suffering from significant sleep disorders,’ Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party told the country’s reporters following a private briefing.
‘Chairman Kim looked very tired with noticeable dark circles under his eyes during his public appearance on May 16,’ Yoo told reporters.
He said the intelligence agency had studied recent images of Kim and estimated his weight to be around 140kg (309lb).
South Korean analysts are said to have been monitoring scratches and bruises that have appeared on Kim’s hand and arms. Yoo said this was believed to be a form of stress-induced dermatitis and allergies.
The NIS told reporters it had recently tracked a large import of Marlboro and Dunhill cigarettes into North Korea, as well as high-end snacks.
Kim is known to be a frequent smoker and is regularly seen with a cigarette in hand in state-approved photographs.
The NIS also said starvation and suicide deaths had recently surged in North Korea as a result of a worsening food shortage.
It estimated that these deaths had tripled over recent years, becoming one of the worst rates during Kim’s time in power.
Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette at North Korea’s General Satellite Control and Command Center after a rocket launch in December 2012
Kim is caught lighting up in a grainy image of the North Korean leader in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019
Kim has tried to take action against these deaths, the NIC said. It said he had claimed suicide as an ‘act of treason against socialism’.
The South Korean spy agency also delivered information on North Korea’s failed satellite launch on Wednesday, which it said Kim was likely to have watched.
The launch failure was a setback to a push to boost his military capabilities as tensions with the United States and South Korea rise.
After an unusually quick admission of failure, North Korea vowed to conduct a second launch after it analysed what went wrong. It suggests Kim remains determined to expand his weapons arsenal and apply more pressure on Washington and Seoul while diplomacy is stalled.
South Korea and Japan briefly urged residents in some areas to take shelter after the launch.
The South Korean military said it was salvaging an object presumed to be part of the crashed North Korean rocket in waters 125 miles west of the south-western island of Eocheongdo. Later, the Defense Ministry released photos of a white metal cylinder it described as a suspected rocket part.
