Kim Jong-un suffers from insomnia, weighs more than 300 pounds and is increasingly dependent on cigarettes and alcohol.
- Large quantities of foreign cigarettes are brought into North Korea
- South Korea’s spy agency said it was monitoring Kim’s poor health
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may suffer from insomnia and be addicted to alcohol and nicotine, South Korean intelligence officials said.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) released a report on Wednesday claiming that Kim’s unhealthy habits mean he could weigh more than 300 pounds (nearly 140 kg).
According to the report, the South had intelligence that North Korea’s top officials were gathering information about insomnia and the drugs needed to treat the sleep disorder.
South Korea’s spy agency said it was monitoring Kim’s health and believed he was about to enter a vicious cycle of alcohol and nicotine abuse that would be perpetuated by his insomnia.
Despite the country’s food crisis, a large import of foreign cigarettes and expensive snacks has recently been verified, officials said.
Kim Jong Un holds a cigarette in Pyongyang, North Korea, surrounded by military officials and his daughter (left)
A smiling Kim Jong Un with a lit cigarette between his fingers
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un drinks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a ceasefire in the demilitarized zone on April 27, 2018
Based on the fact that North Korean authorities actively collected the latest medical information in April, including drugs such as zolpidem, for the treatment of insomnia in senior officials abroad, NOS estimates that Chairman Kim suffers from severe sleep disorders. Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party told the country’s reporters after 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 about 140 kg.
South Korean analysts would have tracked scratches and bruises on Kim’s hand and arms. Yoo said this was thought to be a form of stress-induced dermatitis and allergies.
NOS told reporters it had recently been tracking large imports of Marlboro and Dunhill cigarettes into North Korea, as well as high-end snacks.
Known as a frequent smoker, Kim is regularly seen holding a cigarette in state-approved photos.
The NOS also said that starvation and suicide deaths had recently risen in North Korea due to a growing food shortage.
It estimated that these deaths had tripled in recent years, becoming one of the worst numbers during Kim’s time in power.
Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette at North Korea’s General Satellite Control and Command Center after a missile launch in December 2012
Kim is caught in a grainy image of the North Korean leader in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019
Kim has attempted to take action against these deaths, the NIC said. It said he had claimed suicide as a act of treason against socialism.
South Korea’s spy agency also provided intelligence on North Korea’s failed satellite launch on Wednesday, which it said Kim likely saw.
The launch failure was a setback to an effort to increase its military capabilities as tensions with the United States and South Korea mount.
After an unusually quick admission of failure, North Korea promised to conduct a second launch after analyzing what went wrong. It suggests that Kim remains determined to expand his arsenal and put more pressure on Washington and Seoul as diplomacy stalls.
South Korea and Japan briefly urged residents of some areas to take shelter after the launch.
The South Korean military said it was recovering an object believed to be part of the downed North Korean missile in waters 200 kilometers west of the southwestern island of Eocheongdo. Later, the Department of Defense released photos of a white metal cylinder that it described as a suspected missile component.