Report: ‘Extremely obese’ Kim Jong-un at ‘high risk of disease’

Published: 11:42 EDT, 30 September 2026 | Updated: 11:42 EDT, 30 September 2026

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is understood to be ‘extremely obese’ and at risk of heart disease after packing on weight, Seoul’s spy agency has said.

Kim’s heavy smoking and chronic obesity continue to raise international questions about who would succeed him as Supreme Leader of the nuclear-armed state if he were to die suddenly.

And now his ‘health condition is classified as extremely obese’ and he weighs more than 310lb, Seoul politician Youn Kun-young said, citing South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

While he is at ‘high risk of cardiovascular disease’, Kim has shown no difficulty with physical activity, including running up stairs, Youn added.

‘It is assessed that there are no signs of health issues, given the close monitoring by (his) dedicated medical team.’

Pictured: Kim alongside a pursuit assault plane group in 2020.

Speculation over Kim’s health first flared in 2020 when he missed a commemoration of his late grandfather’s birthday. He was away from the public eye for about 20 days, fuelling rumours that he was seriously ill after surgery.

Kim’s father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung, were also obese and heavy smokers. Both died of heart attacks.

North Korea has struggled with repeated food shortages over the years, with the UN calling food insecurity a key humanitarian concern.

But a chef who worked with Kim’s personal chefs during a North Korea-US summit has said the leader has a taste for luxury foods.

Paul Smart – who was the executive chef at Hanoi’s Metropole hotel, where the summit was held – said in 2019: ‘He likes caviar, lobster, really luxurious product. Foie gras, he really likes to indulge in cuisine.’

He added the steaks the North Koreans brought for the leader weren’t dissimilar to highly coveted Japanese wagyu, and were cooked rare.

The questions surrounding Kim’s health come months after the NIS said it believed his daughter is poised to be named North Korea’s future leader.

Kim’s daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae and roughly 13 years old, has been accompanying her father to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings.

State media said she is her father’s ‘most beloved’ or ‘respected’ child and churned out footage and photos proving their closeness and her rising political standing.

The NIS also said earlier this month it was trying to determine if Kim had a son, but if he exists he is not in a position to become the successor.

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