North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un appears to have shed pounds in snaps of factory tour
New pics of hermit state's super leader show Kim looking slimmer than usual after he piled on weight earlier this year
NORTH Korea’s Kim Jong-un showed off a slimmer figure during a tour of a new factory after ballooning in size earlier this year.
The hermit state’s super leader has piled on the pounds since becoming the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2011.
It’s been claimed Kim developed severe health problems after scoffing too much food at meal times.
South Korean news agency Yonhap reported the leader had binge eating problems due to assassination fears.
But pictures shared on Friday show Kim looking far slimmer than he did back in May.
While it is impossible to verify exactly when the snaps were taken due to the nation’s lock-down on most visitors, Kim seemed healthier and cheery as he looked around newly renovated Mangyongdae Revolutionary Souvenir Factory in Pyongyang.
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As well as inspecting the check out, Kim was snapped looking at goods and machinery while flanked by Workers’ Party of Korea officials.
He also posed for photos with the factory’s employees.
According to the state’s news agency KCNA, the leader told factory employees “work is important” during his visit.
He continued: “Through our strength and skills, and on the basis of [our] raw materials, another production base for consumer goods has been bestowed.
“Factories are being rebuilt, and more modern consumer goods plants for the people, with leading edge equipment and technical processes, must be constructed.”
Snaps of Kim’s seemingly slimmer figure come as North Korea faces severe flash floods.
Aid agencies claim 70,000 people have been made homeless by the disaster, with little hope of being rehoused before the bitter winter begins.
There have also been reports of an outbreak in cholera due to the absence of safe drinking water.
The state says 133 nationals died after floods swept through the North Hamgyong Province in late August and early September.
The 32-year-old leader – who took over the reclusive nation after his father Kim Jong-il died – has yet to visit the impoverished north of the country after torrential rain caused bouts of severe flooding.
The north of the country is frequently overlooked by government officials in Pyongyang as those deemed less faithful to the regime are housed further away from the capital, where they are said to live in squalor.
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