Kim Jong-un suspected of ‘drugs dependency’: Does he suffer from the same condition as his father?

A leading expert on North Korea suspects that the country’s leader Kim Jong-un may have a dependency on medicinal drugs due to mysterious black marks on his head.

Is Kim Jong-un ill?

Michael Madden, a fellow of The Stimson Center in Washington DC who also runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website, believes the marks may be due to 'bruising from receiving injections' of medicinal drugs. He said, as reported by the Mirror:

The marks have different colours and appear in different places. The most likely type of injection Kim Jong-un would receive there would be anti-inflammatory steroids to alleviate joint pain.

This is similar to people who experience bruising from IV treatments in hospitals.

Madden explained that Jong-un may be receiving the injections to protect his 'strongman' image. He said:

If we check Kim Jong-un’s public schedule, he makes fewer appearances than he did before.

So if he does have chronic or routine joint pain, he might have one course of treatment for the office or at home, and then another more intensive course of treatment for public appearances.

Does he have the same condition as his father?

It is common knowledge that Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-il, suffered from a calcium deposit in his neck that resembled a tumour, which meant he was only ever photographed from one side. Madden speculated that Jong-un could be suffering from the same condition, saying:

Perhaps, there are medical treatments which would prevent Kim Jong-un from having such a large growth, and perhaps we are seeing the results of those treatments.

Regardless, he is certain Jong-un is receiving some sort of medical intervention:

There are no other logical alternative scenarios on this one.

It comes as his sister revealed that Jong-un was 'seriously ill with a high fever' during North Korea’s outbreak of Covid-19, leading to speculation that he had contracted the virus.

Read more:

⋙ Kim Jong-un 'seriously ill' during Covid-19 outbreak according to his sister

⋙ Kim Jong-un allegedly grief-stricken as he buries mentor amidst Covid-19 outbreak in North Korea

⋙ North Korea suggests using traditional medicine to fight COVID-19