North Koreans are worried about Kim Jong Un's recent weight loss, with one citizen describing him as 'emaciated', on a state TV broadcast.
A Pyongyang resident was interviewed on Korean Central Television (KCTV) about the dictator, who appeared to have lost weight amid the country's worsening food crisis.
The channel, which is tightly controlled by the state, interviewed the middle aged man on Friday evening, who said: "Seeing our respected comrade General Secretary [Kim Jong Un] become emaciated like that, all the people became so heartbroken.
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"Everyone is talking about it. We all just started to cry."
The programme showed various reactions to new propaganda songs released in the week.
NK News - an English-language news site that specialises on North Korea - said the leader looked thinner after an image was released by KCTV that showed him in a meeting on 4 June.
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It suggested his Portofino Automatic watch by Swiss company IWC Schaffhausen lloked looser on him than photos taken in November last year, and March.
According to the Korea Times, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said Kim weighed 198 pounds in August 2012. But, he had gone on to gain about a stone each year, meaning in November 2020, he weighed around 308 pounds. At less than 5ft 6in, it would make him medically obese.
Last week it was reported that North Korea could run out of food in just two months, with fears rising that the country is on the verge of another famine, that could kill millions.
Kim Jong-un even admitted there is a problem, addressing a meeting of senior leaders on Tuesday, he said: "The people's food situation is now getting tense."
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He also said the agricultural sector had failed to meet targets for grain in 2020, with typhoons and floods blamed.
NK News - based in Seoul - said that food prices have been hiked up, with a kilogram of bananas now costing $45 (£32).
The country was also forced to close its borders with China to prevent the spread of Covid-19, leading to shortages in food, fertiliser and fuel.
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A recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the 'uncovered food gap is estimated at about 860,000 tonnes' of grain - the equivalent to two months' food.
The leader also warned citizens of another 'Arduous March'. This was the name given to the food crisis in the 1990s, which killed up to 3.5 million people.
In April, Kim said: "I made up my mind to ask the WPK (Workers' Party of Korea) organisations at all levels, including its Central Committee and the cell secretaries of the entire party, to wage another more difficult 'arduous march' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little."
Featured Image Credit: KCTV/NK News