Propaganda Or Optics? Analysts Weigh In On A Slimmer Kim Jong Un

When North Korea's Kim Jong Un reappeared in state media in early June after not being seen in public for almost a month, analysts noted that his watch appeared to be fastened more tightly than before around an apparently slimmer wrist.

A rare mention in North Korean state media of leader Kim Jong Un's health could be intended to head off speculation and play up shared sacrifice amid food shortages, analysts said. The tightly controlled state media on Friday quoted an unidentified resident of Pyongyang as saying that everyone in North Korea was heartbroken after seeing images of Kim looking "emaciated". When Kim reappeared in state media in early June after not being seen in public for almost a month, analysts noted that his watch appeared to be fastened more tightly than before around an apparently slimmer wrist, sparking speculation over the health of a leader who holds an iron grip in North Korea. "If outside observers picked up on the change in Kim's appearance, you can bet your bottom dollar that the North Korean people noticed it, too, and more quickly," said Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.