Fresh details have emerged shedding more light on the public absence of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.
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The firebrand dictator, who is in his early 30s, is suffering from gout due to poor management of his health, it’s been claimed.
Kim has not been seen in public since September 3 and recent video footage showed him walking with a limp, said South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
“Kim Jong-un is suffering from gout, which is why he is limping on both legs,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I understand that he is suffering from gout along with hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.”
In July he was seen limping at an event marking the 20th anniversary of the death of his grandfather, Kim II-Sung, the founder of the regime.
Another source told the news agency North Korean doctors had made secret visits to Germany, Switzerland and other European countries in a bid to find out how best to treat him.
Kim took power in December 2011, following the death of his father.