North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might be experiencing health problems again. Kim was seen walking with a limp in a state media broadcast Wednesday that showed him visiting a shoe factory in December.

Kim has had ankle problems in the past and was last seen walking with a limp in July 2014. In the most recent video, he was seen limping on his left leg as he walked up stairs, according to a documentary released by the Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station. He also seemed to be putting more weight on his right leg, according to Korean media reports.

South Korea sought to discourage rumors about Kim's health. "At the current stage, it is premature to talk about the state of Kim's health," Jeong Joon Hee, ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. "There is a need to closely watch related information."

Kim is rumored to have undergone a surgery to remove a cyst on his left ankle in 2014. Kim was attending a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of his grandfather, the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, when he was seen limping on state TV that summer. Then he went missing for about six weeks in September 2014, fueling further rumors that there was something wrong with his health or that he had been targeted by a military coup. He reappeared a month later walking with a cane.

Kim's leg injuries have been linked to obesity in the past and recent pictures show the Korean leader appears to have put on extra weight. His waist line has grown during his rule over North Korea apparently because of his love for cheese. Aside from gaining 90 pounds in four years, he also is rumored to be a heavy smoker, which doesn't bode well for his health.

“I’m not a physician, and even if I were, I probably would not be his. That said, his lifestyle – the weight gain, smoking, and extreme stress do not help,” Daniel Pinkston, deputy project director for the North East Asian program at the International Crisis Group, told the Guardian in 2014.

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In 2016, Chinese websites blocked searches for “Kim Fatty the Third," after North Korean officials complained about the trend to China, according to local reports.

"We disapprove of referring to the leader of any country with insulting and mocking remarks," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at the time.

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