Kim Jong-un over 140 kg, South Korean intelligence: No signs of serious health problems

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is considered “extremely obese” and weighs more than 140 kilograms, but currently shows no signs of any serious health problem. The data were made public by a South Korean lawmaker, who said he was citing reports from Seoul’s intelligence agency.

Lawmaker Yoon Kun-young stated that Kim is in a high-risk group for cardiovascular disease, because of his weight and other known lifestyle factors. However, according to intelligence assessments, he currently shows no obvious physical problems and is able to carry out activities such as climbing stairs without difficulty.

“We can assume there is no indication of a health problem, given the ongoing care he receives from his personal medical team,” Yoon said. Kim Jong-un’s health has for years been the object of international speculation. Concerns grew especially in 2020, when the North Korean leader did not appear in public for about 20 days.

The issue is also watched closely because of Kim’s role as leader of a country with a nuclear arsenal and the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Jong-un has also been a smoker for years and his high weight has repeatedly been in focus. His father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather Kim Il Sung, whom he succeeded at the head of the country, were also smokers and overweight. Both died after cardiac problems.

Meanwhile, in 2019, during the U.S.–North Korea summit in Hanoi, the head chef of the Hotel Metropole, Paul Smart, recounted some of the North Korean leader’s food preferences. He said that, based on information he had received from Kim’s personal chefs, the leader preferred luxury products and foods such as caviar, lobsters and foie gras. “He likes caviar, lobsters, real luxury goods. Foie gras. He really likes to enjoy himself,” Smart had stated.