NORTH Korean despot Kim Jong-un has proved himself to be quite the romantic – by taking his wife out to a fish pickling factory.

The dictator was seen inspecting products and grinning inanely as he and wife Ri Sol-Ju toured the Kumsanpho plant in South Hwanghae Province.

7 The North Korean leader donned a straw hat for his trip to the factory Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

Images from their jaunt show Kim examining huge stockpiles of jars and bottles at the factory.

The North’s leader heard about the plant’s trial products like “differing salty and hot spicy levels” and “pickled tiny shrimp, sand eel, anchovy and shellfish”.

Kim’s tour of the factory – where products are weirdly packaged to mimic popular Western brands like Nutella – comes at a time when nearly half of North Korea is going hungry.

Last year, a damning report by the United Nations found the average North Korean was struggling due to crippling food shortages.

7 A happy Kim was joined by his wife Ri Sol-Ju as they took a tour of the fish pickling factory Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

7 Kim inspected production lines at the factory in South Hwanghae Province Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

7 The despot is known to offer 'on the spot' guidance during his inspections Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

Despite the dire situation of his subjects, Kim proudly revelled in seeing the factory’s stockpiles of food, describing it as a “spectacular view”.

The North Korean leader was seen strutting around the factory dressed in grey trousers, a white t-shirt and a straw hat as he delightfully examined production lines.

Kim was seen laughing and broadly smiling as he looked at methods across the factory – the first of its kind in North Korea – with immense pride.

His less-extroverted wife was seen walking alongside him, holding his suit jacket and smiling as Kim chatted to officials.

7 Most of the packing at the North Korean factory bore a striking resemblance to popular western brands Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

7 Kim was overjoyed to hear the factory was trialling new products like pickled tiny shrimp, sand eel, anchovy and shellfish Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

7 Kim gazes at the fish before they are packaged up on the production line Credit: AFP or licensors AFP OR LICENSORS

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Kim is regularly seen carrying out inspections of factories, power stations and even holiday camps, and his visits are heavily covered by state media.

His last tour to the North Hamgyong province saw the Rodong Sinmun newspaper double its pages from six to twelve, devoting nine of them to the trip.

He is also known to give heavy criticism during inspections, often issuing "on the spot" guidance to officials, who are always seen keeping close to their leader with a notebook in hand.

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