North Korea’s Kim Jong-un seen limping in documentary as he tackles ‘worst-ever hardships’
- The noticeably thinner leader struggled to walk down stairs as the film’s narrator said ‘he dedicated his body to realise people’s dreams’
- North Korea warned of a ‘very giant struggle’ as it faces deepening food shortages amid sanctions, droughts and floods
A North Korean documentary showed a limping leader Kim Jong-un as he tackles the impoverished country’s “worst-ever hardships” amid the coronavirus pandemic and sanctions over its weapons programmes.
Broadcast on Tuesday, the show titled The Great Year of Victory, 2021, was a 110-minute film that chronicled a series of achievements throughout the year including missile development, construction and efforts to beat the pandemic.
The narrator repeatedly lauded such projects as signs of “victory” led by a noticeably thinner Kim, in line with previous such documentaries used by state media to craft a semi-divine personality cult around him.
The film did not elaborate on the hardships but reclusive North Korea, unlike rich, democratic South Korea, faces deepening food shortages amid the sanctions, drought and floods, according to UN agencies.
North Korea has not confirmed any Covid-19 cases, but has closed its borders. It has been steadily developing its weapons systems amid an impasse over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for relief from UN and US sanctions.
At one point in the film, Kim was seen struggling to walk down makeshift stairs during a visit to a rainy construction site. “This video showed his motherly side where he completely dedicated his own body to realise people’s dreams,” the narrator said.
The film did not directly refer to Kim’s weight loss, but he has appeared increasingly thinner in recent state media photos.