Kim’s Health Secrecy in Spotlight Despite Warm Moments with Putin
Beijing – Even as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, new footage highlights the extraordinary measures his team takes to hide any signs of his health.
Videos shared on Telegram by Kremlin reporter Alexander Yunashev showed two of Kim’s staff meticulously cleaning the room in Beijing where the leaders held talks for over two hours. The chair Kim sat in was scrubbed, the coffee table beside it wiped, and even his drinking glass removed.
“After the negotiations, the staff accompanying the head of the DPRK carefully destroyed all traces of Kim’s presence,” Yunashev noted, referencing North Korea. Following the meeting, the two leaders moved to a tea session and exchanged warm farewells.
Kim’s attention to secrecy isn’t new. Reports from Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, citing South Korean and Japanese intelligence, said Kim brought his own toilet aboard his signature green train to Beijing, a precaution to prevent any clues about his health.
Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the U.S.-based Stimson Center, explained that these measures date back to Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il. “The special toilet and removal of waste prevent foreign intelligence—even from friendly nations—from collecting samples that could reveal medical conditions,” Madden said, noting that even hair or skin could offer clues.
Kim’s obsessive precautions have been seen during previous foreign trips. In 2019, after the Hanoi summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, guards reportedly spent hours cleaning his hotel room, removing items including the mattress.
Similar care is taken before meetings. During a 2018 summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, security sprayed and wiped chairs and desks before Kim sat. Ahead of a 2023 meeting with Putin, footage showed his team disinfecting chairs and even scanning them with a metal detector to ensure they were safe.
These glimpses behind the scenes reveal the lengths Kim’s regime goes to maintain secrecy about the North Korean leader’s health, even amid high-profile diplomatic encounters.
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