October 1, 2014
Did High Heels and Swiss Cheese Sideline North Korean Leader?
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
No more kinky boots for Kim Jong-un! And put down that cheese!
North Korea isn't the most open country - in fact it's the opposite: completely secretive. And earlier this week it was reported the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, may be suffering some health problems since he's been absent from the public eye for three weeks. Now reports say he's been hospitalized because of his weight and because he's been wearing heels to boost his height.
According to the New York Daily News, which cites a report by the Chosun Ilbo (a major newspaper in South Korea), the country's leader has been recovering from surgery to repair his two broken ankles.
Jong-un has gained weight since assuming leadership and has been seen limping in official state videos before he vanished in early September, the newspaper reports.
Jong-un, who became the leader of North Korea in 2012 after his father Kim Jon II died in December 2011, reportedly kept putting off the surgery but eventually had the procedure in secret at the Bonghwa Clinic, a prestigious medical center for elite political figures.
His broken ankles were the possible result of his weight and from walking in high-heeled boots made in Cuba, according to the report.
Rumors say the 31-year-old leader is a heavy drinker and according to the British website the Express, it is believed Jong-un gained his weight because he has a soft spot for Swiss cheese.
