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North Korean officials are looking to find new drugs to treat Kim Jong Un's obesity-related health issues, South Korea's spy agency said.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers on Monday that Kim — who stands at around 5 foot 7 inches and is estimated to weigh 308 pounds — is at high risk for heart disease, one of the lawmakers, Lee Seong Kweun, told AP News.
Lee said lawmakers were informed that the 40-year-old leader had shown symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes for the best part of a decade.
Multiple outlets reported that Kim lost a substantial amount of weight in 2021, but he has since appeared to regain it.
Now, officials are searching overseas for medicine that could treat Kim's high blood pressure and diabetes, according to the NIS, cited by Lee and Park Sunwon, another lawmaker.
These lawmakers said the agency believes Kim's poor health is tied to stress as well as his smoking and drinking habits, the outlet wrote.
There's also a family history of health issues. Kim's father and grandfather, who ruled the country before he came to power in 2011, died of respective heart problems.
Business Insider could not independently verify AP's report. The NIS has historically been inconsistent in confirming developments in secretive North Korea, the AP said.
There has been widespread speculation over Kim's health in recent years, with some citing the leader's apparent smoking and drinking habits as a risk to the country's future.
Sue Mi Terry, a North Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, previously told BI that health is "one of the most important indicators" of regime stability, adding that the North Korean leader's health "is the biggest wild card."
"Succession is very unclear if something were to happen to Kim Jong Un," she said.
"We know he's unhealthy. So we need to care" about his health, she added.
The NIS believes that Kim's young daughter, Ju Ae, is likely to be Kim's heir apparent. Kim is believed to have two other children and the role hasn't been officially designated.
AP News reports that Ju Ae is around 10 or 11 years old. She began accompanying her father to events in 2022 and has been dubbed Kim's "most beloved" and "respected" child by state media, the outlet said.
