Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, has become so fat while in office that his ankles have fractured under his own weight, it was reported.

The 31-year-old had to undergo an operation after putting too much strain on his ankles during a gruelling round of official engagements, according to a Pyongyang source who spoke to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

Claims about the treatment followed his recent unexplained failure to attend a session of the Supreme People's Assembly, normally a key engagement in the supreme leader's itinerary.

Unlike other members of tPyongyang's political elite, for whom a sudden absence from public life can mean they have been killed or imprisoned, in Kim's case it is said to be down to a bout of Elvis-style weight gain.

The 5ft 9in dictator is now believed to weigh at least 20 stone as a result of his fondness for heavy drinking and imported Swiss cheese, which he gained a taste for while at school in Switzerland.

The pressure on his ankles was apparently made worse by a long tour of military bases and factories while wearing shoes with Cuban heels, which boosted his height but proved difficult to walk in.

He is said to have initially suffered sprains in both ankles, and then compounded the injuries by walking more, leading to the fractures.

Bodyguards have been posted around the ward of a Pyongyang hospital where he is being treated.

"There's been a marked increase in the number of elite officials visiting the ward," the source said.

There was also speculation that a team of private European doctors had flown in to treat him.

(© Daily Telegraph)

Irish Independent