A Slimmer Kim Has Tongues Wagging

Authorities are moving to quell rumors about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who appeared on state media recently after a lengthy absence looking noticeably thinner than before. State media have spun Kim's unexplained weight loss into a tale of the third-generation ruler sharing the hardship of his 25 million people, who struggle with chronic food insecurity in a stagnant economy made worse by a long shutdown of trade with China during the coronavirus pandemic. North Korean state TV cited a local man as saying ordinary people were weeping with heartache at the sight of a leaner Kim, but the Ministry of State Security has launched a nationwide investigation aimed at stopping speculation about his condition.