Breathe easy, world. After six weeks of remaining mysteriously Un-seen, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is officially back in the oppression business. Or so North Korea’s state-run media would have us believe.
Kim was reportedly photographed while making several official visits today – conducting “field guidance,” and surveying new structures in Wisong and in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.
So where has the 31-year-old despot been hiding…and why? Was Kim hanging with Dennis Rodman again? Was he busting out scathing online reviews of the new Seth Rogen-James Franco movie?
No, sadly, the answer seems to be far less amusing:
Though the authenticity of the undated photos released by a North Korean news outlet still has yet to be confirmed, a doctor who used to work for Kim’s family has studied the shots and says they reveal that Jong Un has experienced some health problems…and possibly received some cosmetic work.
Dr. Kim So-Yeon says that Kim’s face appears bloated in the new photos and speculated that the swelling is a result of painkiller use, as well as hormone injections intended to make Kim look more like his grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
Though just 31 years old, Kim is said to be suffering from health problems ranging from gout to hypertension – consequences of the dictator’s well-known love for booze, cigarettes, and fatty foods.
North Korea is widely considered to be the most secretive nation on the planet, so we’ll likely never know exactly why Kim disappeared for so long, but we’re hoping some American Kims will jump on the bandwagon and decide to take an extended break from the spotlight.