North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is alive and well.
Or is he?
The 36-year-old, morbidly obese Kim famously disappeared last month and reports that he suffered a serious health incident flooded the internet. But after a couple weeks of mystery, Kim supposedly reappeared.
Or did he?
On Saturday, state-run media in North Korea released images and video that show Kim at a ribbon-cutting event in an attempt to quell the rumors that he was either in a vegetative state or already dead.
Or did they?
It is a “well-known fact that Kim uses body doubles,” the International Business Times said Monday.
Shortly after footage of Kim’s reappearance emerged, several social media users didn’t waste any time in pointing out discrepancies in the leader’s facial, hairline and dental features when comparing his recent public outing with previous appearances, leading many to believe that authorities may have used one of his body doubles to stand in for Kim and end the speculation surrounding his ill health.
Human rights activist Jennifer Zeng was the first to draw attention to dissimilarities between the two “versions” of Kim, including differences in their teeth, and ears. “Is the Kim Jong-un appearing on May 1 the real one?” she asked on Twitter along with side-by-side comparisons of Kim’s “old and new” appearances in two separate posts.
Is the Kim Jong-un appearing on May 1 the real one? 4 things to watch: 1. Teeth 2. Ears 3. Hair 4. Sister 金正恩露面被疑替身 網友提出4個理由. 1. 牙齒明顯不同 2 耳朵形狀不同 3 神情和頭髮 4 妹妹年輕了十歲 pic.twitter.com/ngKIyNtPpT
— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) May 2, 2020
More of old and new photos "Kim Jong-un" to compare. 更多「金正恩」新老照片對比。 pic.twitter.com/zvaMlUpTcP
— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) May 2, 2020
Another Twitterer said Kim looks “slightly different” during his most recent appearance. “Have y’all seen the latest pics of Kim Jong Un? He looks slightly different. My theory is either that he died and was replaced by a clone/lookalike, or was out of the public eye for so long bc he was recovering from plastic surgery.”
“His nose seems a little bit more rounded, his hairline looks wider, and he used to have WAY more wrinkles around the eyes when he smiled. The hairline may just be receding or a fresh new haircut, but the smoother eyes and slightly different nose have me questioning things.”
His nose seems a little bit more rounded, his hairline looks wider, and he used to have WAY more wrinkles around the eyes when he smiled. The hairline may just be receding or a fresh new haircut, but the smoother eyes and slightly different nose have me questioning things
— 𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 (@BacquesJrel) May 2, 2020
In 2017, The Sun posted photos of Kim talking to not one but two body doubles. “The dictator was filmed chatting away to the two lookalikes – dressed identically in his trademark black pinstripe suit and Cuban heels,” the UK paper said.
Kim notably missed the birth anniversary celebrations of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea and his late grandfather, which is the most significant holiday in the country.
Last week, a Japanese magazine reported that Kim is in a vegetative state after falling gravely ill following heart surgery.
According to Shukan Gendai, Kim visited a rural area earlier this month and collapsed, clutching his chest. Kim reportedly required a stent procedure, which inserts a tube into the heart to keep blood flowing freely, following the incident. Shukan Gendai also said the surgeon in charge of Kim’s operation was not familiar with dealing with obese patients and was “too nervous during the operation, leading to delays that left Kim in a ‘vegetative state.’”
On Friday, Reuters reported that China has sent a team to North Korea — including medical experts — to advise on Kim, according to three people familiar with the situation.
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