Slim Kim no more: Kim Jong Un appears to have packed on the pounds – three years after the North Korean leader shed almost three stone during Covid – as he is spotted in THAT leather jacket again

Kim Jong Un appears to have packed on the pounds since shedding almost three stone during the Covid pandemic, with the North Korean dictator’s latest photos showing him filling out his signature leather jacket.

The despot was spotted this week on an outing with his “most beloved” daughter, named Ju Ae by South Korean intelligence, who had been tipped to take over the hermit kingdom’s government.

Speculation that he has chosen his heir apparent in his middle child – who is believed to be aged between 10 and 12 – comes after experts suggested the 40-year-old’s rising weight means he could ‘collapse’ at any time ‘.

Now photos released by state media appear to show him looking rounder than in previous months – with a slimmer appearance even as recently as January – and noticeably taller than when he lost weight in 2021.

Kim disappeared from public view between January and May that year before returning 40 pounds lighter, with officials saying he ate less “for the sake of the country” – while his people went hungry.

There was speculation at the time as to whether the dictator – known for his love of good food and wine – simply wanted to look slimmer or whether he was in fact cutting calories due to health concerns during the Covid pandemic.

Although the regime keeps Kim’s health a closely guarded secret, reports have emerged over the years that he could be suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

He is also a known smoker, with reports last year that he indulged in ‘heavy drinking and smoking’,

In 2020, Dr. Kenneth Dekleva suggested that Kim’s weight and other “risk factors” gave him a one-in-three chance of having a heart attack in the next decade.

But in 2021, he stunned the world with a slimmed-down body, with South Korean intelligence saying he had lost a whopping 44 pounds.

The tyrant, who stands 6 feet tall, weighed over 300 pounds at his peak before dropping to around 260 pounds.

Regime officials told state media that Kim ate less “for the sake of the country” as the country faced famine, and stressed that he remained healthy.

State television even spoke to one person who said his “emaciated” condition was “breaking the hearts of our people.”

With the UN reporting that around 40 percent of North Koreans faced malnutrition during the pandemic, such comments are believed to be part of a propaganda campaign as many faced famine.

Speculation about Kim’s health also forced the government to ban gossip about his weight as a “reactionary act.”

Analysts have suggested that Kim’s rapid weight loss would have been difficult if he had not had a gastric band fitted.

Dr. Dekleva told The Sun Online: ‘The rate and extent of his recent weight loss is consistent with a bariatric surgery procedure, most likely a gastric sleeve or bypass procedure.’

Photos of Kim as a teenager and young man show him with a much slimmer figure.

After becoming leader of the PRK, his waistline grew, with insiders claiming he likes to indulge in luxury food and drink.

But according to a chef who worked for his late father, the dictator always had a taste for good food and drinks, including steak, sushi, champagne and cheese.

North Korean officials have good reason to worry about the health of their Supreme Leader.

His father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, both died of heart attacks. The dictator’s health has always been a closely guarded state secret.

Speculation is now mounting that Ju Ae is set to inherit her father’s leadership, with South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), saying on Friday that it considers her his likely successor.

Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, said Kim likely believes his daughter has the ability and determination to succeed him as leader.

He said Kim Jong Un’s obesity appears to be so severe that “it won’t be a surprise even if he collapses tomorrow.”

“By accompanying her father to major events, it is like learning kingship and building a human network at a young age,” Cheong said.

South Korea’s NOS said in January that Ju Ae’s recent increased visibility indicates she “appears to be the most likely successor.”

But it added: “We are keeping our eyes open to all possibilities because Kim Jong Un is still young, has no major health problems and there are many variables.”