Kim Jong-Un Spotted With Plaster And Dark Mark On His Head

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been spotted with a dark mark and a plaster on his head.

Images from Korean TV show a mysterious black spot on the back of his head, which at another point appears to be covered by a plaster.

Pyongyang Broadcast Service

It's not clear how he sustained the mark - he could have some kind of underlying health condition, he could have just knocked his head on a shelf. We just don't know.

What we do know is that the mark has developed sometime after 11 July, as he appeared publicly then and it wasn't visible, according to NK News.

It comes amid continuing speculation about the dictator's health, much of which stems from his apparent weight loss.

Pyongyang Broadcast Service

In June, state media images showed him wearing his fancy $12,000 (£8,500) watch on a tighter notch than in previous photos.

A report in NK News showed comparison images of Kim's wearing his Schaffhausen Portofino watch last year, in March last year, and in more recent images, all - with the more recent shot showing the watch strap tighter on his wrist.

Twitter/NK News

This prompted speculation that Kim - who is believed to be around 38 - had shed a few pounds.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told MPs last year that Kim had put on a 'substantial' amount of weight each year since he took power in 2011.

The Yonhap News Agency reported in November that NIS said Kim weighed 140kg having 'gained an average of six to seven kilograms per year' since late 2011.

PA

Mike Brodka, an intelligence officer for U.S. Special Operations Command in South Korea, told NK News: "On the surface, noticeable weight loss may not mean much, but it can provide clues to other information that intelligence collectors look for."

He added: "It may be a simple matter of a healthy lifestyle change or a more complex issue.

"Right now, we do not know, but it raises enough serious questions that we must pay attention to events over the next couple of months to find out."

While Colin Zwirko, a senior analytic correspondent, told the news outlet: "Foreign intelligence agencies want to know is Kim Jong Un healthy enough to remain the leader for a long amount of time.

"What's going on behind the scenes, if he's unhealthy? And how does that affect security in the region given North Korea has nuclear weapons."

Topics: World News, Kim Jong Un, North Korea

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey