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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has a son, but he is too “pale and thin” for North Korean tastes and is kept out of the public eye, a former Korean spymaster has claimed.
Citing sources in the North, Choe Su-yong, a retired National Intelligence Service (NIS) official in neighbouring South Korea claimed that the boy’s “unattractive physical appearance appears to have discouraged Kim from exposing his son in public.”
“Unlike his father, or his sister, who is plump and well-nourished, Kim’s son is said to be pale and thin,” he told the Korea Times.
“I heard that his son looks nothing like his great-grandfather, Kim Il-sung.”
For North Korean leaders, a resemblance to Kim Il-sung – the country’s chubby founder is seen as an indispensable quality, according to the spymaster.
Kim Jong Un has been accused of playing up his resemblance to Kim Il-sung, his grandfather, in an attempt to bolster his own legitimacy to the throne.
Kim Jong Un’s ‘chubby’ daughter, Kim Ju-ae, came into the public eye in late 2022, a sign that he might be able to give her the mantle when he is done ruling.
Michael Madden, founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, said: “When Kim Jong Un was the hereditary successor, he was actually thin.
“Go back and look at those pictures. He was a thinner guy.
‘His father and his aunt told him to gain weight so he could project authority.
“So that when those North Korean elites, especially those old generals, saw this 27/28-year-old man, they would feel physically intimidated by him.”
Madden, a fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington DC said this preference for plus-sized leaders also had a historical basis.
He said, ‘There are some Korean concepts about how we present ourselves to other people, and there is a certain idea about attractiveness and attractiveness.
‘The definition of what is considered attractive and pleasant will be very different from what we would see in the West.
“When we see Kim Jong-un, when we see his father, we see his grandfather, right? Chubby cheeks, right? Rosie’s chubby cheeks, a smile on face.
“Being thin and frugal will remind the North Korean people that nearly a million people starved to death in the late 1990s.”
The NIS believes Kim Jong Un has three children, the son is the eldest, followed by Kim Ju-ae, and then a child of unknown gender.
Choe agrees that the eldest is a son, but believes the dictator has only two legitimate children, this unnamed son and Kim Ju-ae plus two illegitimate children.
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