Daily Mail
Kim Jong Un has been seen with a dark spot on the back of his head, sometimes covered by a bandage, fuelling more speculation about his health.
The North Korean tyrant’s dark patch was first seen at the end of July when he attended a series of events including a military parade and meeting with veterans.
The apparent wound, with a greenish hue, was variously seen uncovered or covered by a broad nude-coloured plaster.
There has been rampant speculation about the 37-year-old’s health since he lost a considerable amount of weight earlier this year, with his Mao-style suit hanging loose over his shoulders and his facial features conspicuously defined.
State media made the highly unusual decision in June to describe Kim as ’emaciated’ and ‘breaking our people’s hearts,’ in an apparent effort to evoke sympathy for the despot who has admitted publicly to a ‘great crisis’ brought about by the pandemic.
It is believed that he developed the mark on his head some time after July 11 because on that date he was seen at an appearance with musicians with no trace of it, according to North Korean monitoring site NK Daily.
It is not the first time Kim has appeared publicly with a curious mark on his body.
In May last year, he was seen with a small dark spot on his wrist from what medical experts claimed was the result of a needle used in heart surgery.
Kim’s health has been the subject of international speculation for years as his death would raise questions over succession and stability in the nuclear-armed nation.
Known as a heavy smoker and a big eater, the leader has been obese throughout much of his life and has appeared to gain weight as he has grown older.
Kim’s father Kim Jong-Il and grandfather Kim Il-Sung were also obese and heavy smokers. Both died of heart attacks.
But he looked noticeably less overweight in recent media images published by Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency and on state television.
Some observers say Kim – who is about 5ft8in tall and has previously weighed 308 pounds may have lost between 22 and 44 pounds.
Kim’s personal life is normally taboo for North Korea’s state media and Pyongyang has never even confirmed how many children he has.
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