Fridge-raiding Kim Jong-un ‘sparing no expense' to get hands on Ozempic – but he'll test on guinea pig civilians first
It comes as sources told how the North Korean tyrant's obesity-related health problems has forced a shift in his role as Supreme Leader.
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Kim, pictured on July 12, appears to have piled the pounds back on
Credit: AFP
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Kim notably lost a lot of weight in 2021
Credit: EPA
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Kim and daughter Ju-ae, both centre, visiting the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area on June 24
Credit: AFP
Wary Kim has now ordered his close confidants to find new medicines abroad to help him trim back, such as Ozempic or a similar drug.
Insiders say fridge-raider Kim - who is known to have a legendary appetite - will likely bulk-buy a weight-loss drug before testing it on citizens with a similar figure.
One senior North Korea observer said: "If the past is any guide, it is probable that they'd make a bulk purchase.
"Because it's a new drug and a new drug to Kim, they might select North Korean citizens with a similar body type and medical
history
as Kim so they try the drug first for any side effects.
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"Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, once had some of his aides injected with opiates.
"That way, if he became dependent or addicted, they'd all have to detox together."
Plump Kim, who stands at just 5ft 6ins, tipped the scales at a whopping 22 stone at his largest before shedding the pounds.
Eye-opening images revealed a drastic weight loss in 2021 - but the Supreme Leader has again ballooned to up to over 20 stone.
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Kim's health has long raised eyebrows - and his love for cigarettes, drinking and imported cheese is a far cry from a healthy diet.
North Korea's 'Benidorm' to FINALLY open next week as tyrant Kim Jong-Un cuts ribbon - and Brits have signed up to visit
He is suspected to suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as gout - joint pain linked to a rich diet.
Both Kim's father and grandfather died from heart issues, making the dictator likely fearful of the same fate.
Michael Madden, founder of NK Leadership Watch, told The Sun: "When we see him in state media reporting, he is often sitting down.
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"He doesn't walk any great distances, and he uses the car more often to travel short distances at public engagements.
"This also raises the question - what has caused the weight gain?
"Is it a combination of compulsive stress eating, a sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity? Is it a side effect of medication?
"If Kim is on medications, do they treat a chronic medical condition that might result in weight gain or metabolism issues?
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"Then again, do Kim's doctors tell him the truth about his health or conceal a more serious problem?"
South Korean spies this month claimed Kim is on the hunt for new weight-loss medicines such as Ozempic from Western countries.
And his inner circle will be doing everything they can to get their hands on what their Dear Leader demands.
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Kim shakes hands with Russian culture minister Olga Lyubimova on June 29
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Kim pictured on February 8, 2021, left, and June 15, 2021, right
Credit: AP
Mr Madden added: "When it comes to the leader's medical treatments, the regime spares no effort or expense to import the best available medicine, medical devices etc, from foreign countries, usually from Central
Europe
.
"If things get pretty dire, the North Koreans will retain foreign physicians and other specialists.
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"The way this happens is through the Personal Secretariat, which is Kim's executive office as leader and runs his households and domestic life.
"The Personal Secretariat has what they call a 'network of correspondents'.
"These are elite North Koreans working either in small work teams or as individuals at North Korean embassies or other foreign missions.
"They perform a number of discreet tasks on behalf of Kim and some core elites - collecting or interpreting information, making purchases, conducting off the record interactions."
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Top insiders noted "significant process changes in the regime" as Kim's daughter
Kim has yet to anoint an official successor - though his daughter, believed to be 12 or 13, is touted as a strong possibility.
When it comes to the leader's medical treatments, the regime spares no effort or expense to import the best available medicine, medical devices etc, from foreign countries, usually from Central Europe
Michael Madden
One source said: "Restrictions on or disappearing of senior officials from public events is a sign of political transition or regime collapse; in
North Korea
, it's the former.
"The biggest things here are his inaccessibility at public events and the evolving public presence of Ju-ae.
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"Kim used to be fairly easy to interact with at public events, now they hang back and don't engage as
freely
as before.
"Ju-ae's role and profile have expanded. In the last month, she has started wearing new, more mature clothing. She's starting to resemble her mum.
"Ju-ae is also interacting with foreign and DPRK leadership figures more readily."
Rumours have also swirled Kim's Gucci-loving daughter Ju-ae is on route to one day take the reins after she was seen accompanying her father at
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She is regularly presented in carefully controlled state media as his "beloved" and "precious" child - fuelling rumours about her role in the regime in the
future
.
Kim's
wife Ri Sol ju, brother Kim Jong-chul, his top generals - premier Kim Tok-hun, general Choe Ryong-hae and marshal Pak Jong-chon
could also be in the running.
A source added: "We are definitely seeing the outliers for succession.
"The 10th Party Congress in 2031 will likely be Ju-ae's major debut as a North Korean elite."
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Kim and his daughter inspect an air force demonstration on November 30, 2023
Credit: AP
Kim's legendary appetite
INTELLIGENCE services and insiders have previously claimed Kim Jong-un is a prolific binge eater, drinker and smoker.
The Kim family's ex-sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto has claimed the dictator once boasted he had consumed '10 bottles of Bordeaux" during a meal.
Kim is also reportedly absolutely crackers about Emmental cheese after developing a taste for it while studying in Switzerland as a teen.
Cheese and wine are not the only treats Kim enjoys however, with only the best being good enough for the North Korean leader as his people starve and live in poverty.
Kim's staff reportedly brought along a host of high calorie and luxurious foods for their leader during his summit with US President Donald Trump in Vietnam in March 2019.
A team of personal chefs was also brought along to help tend to Kim - with the cook at Hanoi's luxury Metropole saying they tasted dishes for an hour to make sure they were perfect for their leader.
Cavier and lobster are both also reportedly part of Kim's palate, even though both are banned from being imported into North Korea by the United Nations.
Kim is also a fan of the delicacy shark fin soup, according to Mr Fujimoto.
Booze-loving Kim also reportedly likes to drink at least two bottles of Cristal Champagne per sitting, the chef said.
Bottles of the ritzy plonk can cost up to £7,500 - meaning Kim could drink away £15,000 during every meal.
Hundreds of thousands of bottle of cognac and vodka are also reportedly regularly imported to the Pyongyang, believed to be bound for Kim and the North Korea elite.
Kim is also reported to have pushed from a
Kim allegedly hated being called fat - being dubbed Kim Fatty III in Chinese media.
North Korea officials reportedly made a state request to China to get them to drop the nickname.
Other insulting names used by Kim's nearest ally include Kim Fat Fatty and Kim Abundant III.
Donald Trump even called Kim "short and fat" on Twitter as the two traded barbs before their string of high profile summits in 2018.
North Korea experts have previously claimed Kim's weight is actually a well-cultivated ploy to make him look like his revered grandfather Kim Il-sung.
His grandad is also claimed to have been a gourmand, having cows fed beer and had them massaged to make the meat more tender.
Kim's dad Kim Jong-il also died of a heart attack in 2011.
And while people may crack jokes about Kim's weight battle, around 40% of North Korea's population is undernourished.
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