Heartbroken North Koreans have been worrying tearfully about leader Kim Jong Un's "emaciated looks," state media quoted a local resident as saying, in a rare acknowledgement of foreign speculation about his weight loss.
The comments were seen as an effort to boost domestic support for Kim's efforts as he grapples with deepening economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, mismanagement, UN economic sanctions and natural disasters, some experts said.
"Our people's hearts ached most when we saw (Kim's) emaciated looks," North Korean state TV cited the unidentified male resident wearing a straw hat as saying on Friday. "Everyone says their tears are welling up in their eyes naturally."
In recent state media photos, Kim has appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight. Some North Korea watchers said Kim, who is about 170 centimetres (5 feet, 8 inches) tall and has previously weighed 140 kilograms (308 pounds), may have lost 10-20 kilograms (22-44 pounds).
Kim's health is the focus of keen outside attention as the 37-year-old leader hasn't publicly anointed a successor who would take charge of North Korea's advancing nuclear arsenal targeting the United States and its allies if he is incapacitated.
Some analysts in Seoul said Kim is likely to have gone on a diet to improve his health, while others speculated that his weight loss might be related to health issues.
Kim, known for heavy drinking and smoking, comes from a family with a history of heart problems. His father and grandfather, who ruled North Korea before him, both died of heart issues.
In recent months, Kim has called for stronger unity to overcome what he calls "the worst-ever" crisis caused by pandemic-related border closings that have sharply reduced North Korea's international trade, persistent U.S.-led sanctions and crop-killing summer storms last year.
Iran is preparing to 'imminently' launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, according to a senior U.S. administration official, who warned Tuesday of 'severe consequences' should it take place.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has controversially broken royal protocol and claimed in his upcoming memoir that Queen Elizabeth II was suffering from bone cancer before her death.
In the second part of a five-part series, W5's Avery Haines follows the journeys of migrants who risk life and limb to ride atop Mexican freight trains, desperate to avoid narco territory as they make their way towards the U.S. border.
As October begins, several provinces are bracing for frosty conditions and some are facing a snowy start, according to local forecasts.
The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is taking the stand in his northeastern Ontario sexual assault trial.
Archeologists in Denmark have unearthed more than 50 'exceptionally well preserved' skeletons in a large Viking-era burial ground in the east of the country.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
A man attacked and injured three young children as they were heading to a day-care center in Zurich on Tuesday, Swiss police said. The suspect was arrested.
The House of Commons will hold an emergency debate this evening on the crisis in Lebanon after Israel's ground incursion intensified fears of a full-scale invasion.
Ontario Provincial Police laid charges against an Ottawa driver after a child was found to not be wearing a seatbelt inside a vehicle early Sunday morning.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is taking the stand in his northeastern Ontario sexual assault trial.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
Ottawa must do more to help Canadian citizens leave Lebanon, says the son of a Canadian couple killed last week when an Israeli bomb hit their car in the country's south.
Ontario politicians are set to make their annual pilgrimage to the International Plowing Match today.
A bus carrying young students and their teachers on a school trip caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, leaving more than 20 feared dead, officials and rescuers said.
Tim Walz and JD Vance will meet for their first and possibly only vice-presidential debate Tuesday, in what could be the last debate for both campaigns to argue their case before the U.S. election.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has controversially broken royal protocol and claimed in his upcoming memoir that Queen Elizabeth II was suffering from bone cancer before her death.
Donald Trump repeatedly spread falsehoods Monday about the federal response to Hurricane Helene despite claiming not to be politicizing the disaster as he toured hard-hit areas in south Georgia.
A man attacked and injured three young children as they were heading to a day-care center in Zurich on Tuesday, Swiss police said. The suspect was arrested.
Archeologists in Denmark have unearthed more than 50 'exceptionally well preserved' skeletons in a large Viking-era burial ground in the east of the country.
The House of Commons will hold an emergency debate this evening on the crisis in Lebanon after Israel's ground incursion intensified fears of a full-scale invasion.
The Bloc Quebecois will try to put the squeeze on the Liberals today by calling for a debate in the House of Commons about increasing old age pension payments for all seniors.
Canadian members of Parliament are working with their colleagues in Australia and New Zealand to try and convince their respective governments to jointly recognize Palestinian statehood.
For the first time in Rwanda’s history, its health ministry is dealing with an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a rare but deadly hemorrhagic disease similar to Ebola – but unlike Ebola, there is no treatment or vaccines for Marburg, and it has a fatality rate of 88 per cent.
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
The fertility rate in Canada reached an all-time low in 2023, and the lowest rate was recorded in British Columbia, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
Restaurant company SIR Corp. is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has impacted part of its information technology infrastructure.
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday's arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
The space rock — 2024 PT5 — was first spotted in August by astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid using a powerful telescope located in Sutherland, South Africa.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is taking the stand in his northeastern Ontario sexual assault trial.
A Scottish woman accused of stalking 'Baby Reindeer' creator and star Richard Gadd can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against Netflix, after a federal judge in California refused to dismiss all of the claims.
The 50th season of “Saturday Night Live†is off to a strong ratings start and is a record-breaker for the streaming service Peacock.
Restaurant company SIR Corp. is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has impacted part of its information technology infrastructure.
A strike by U.S. dockworkers at 36 ports from Maine to Texas, the first in decades, could snarl supply chains and lead to shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks.
The minimum wage in four provinces is going up today.
Have you been caught in a bind, far from home, that could have been avoided with the timely purchase of an insurance package? We want to hear from you.
Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
Ryan Hunter's athleticism has been on full display since his arrival in the CFL, but the Canadian's versatility is now shining through.
Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri tried to lay to rest rumours that he has friction with Edward Rogers, the executive chair of Rogers Communications, Inc.
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle division will pay a US$1.5 million penalty after the unit failed to fully report a crash involving a pedestrian, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.
On Saturday night at her parents’ home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
Four Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are expected to appear in Surrey provincial court Tuesday.
The New Democrats are campaigning for another term in British Columbia's provincial election but without many of the familiar faces that have graced lawn signs of elections past.
The Department of National Defence is warning boaters to avoid a small island southwest of Victoria this week as the military conducts routine, but potentially dangerous, demolition training.
One male is dead following a shooting at a plaza in North York, Toronto police say. The incident occurred near Marlee Avenue and Lawrence Avenue West, near Allen Road, shortly before midnight.
One person is dead and two others are in hospital after a break-in at a Mississauga home early Tuesday morning ended in gunfire, Peel police say.
After a mostly sunny and dry September, Toronto’s weather forecast for the first week of October is calling for clouds and showers
Police are investigating a suspicious death in Cityscape, Calgary's third such death over the long weekend.
Intense westerly winds flowed over the Rockies early Tuesday and, according to data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, as of 7 a.m. peak gusts at Nakiska Ridgetop hit 142 km/h.
A southeast Calgary business was damaged on Tuesday in an early morning fire.
The abatement and decommissioning work at 24 Sussex Drive is complete, as the National Capital Commission awaits a decision by the federal government on the future of the official residence of the prime minister.
The city has implemented a new three item garbage limit on all households that receive curbside collection as part of a plan to reduce the amount of waste heading to the landfill and to help extend the life of the Trail Road Waste Facility until 2049.
The Ottawa Police Service is seeking public assistance in identifying a suspect who allegedly assaulted and robbed a woman on an OC Transpo bus last month.
Marwah Rizqy, the Quebec Liberal Party's MNA for Saint-Laurent, will not be seeking re-election in the next provincial election.
You might not realize it, but you are probably familiar with Dave Arnold's work. He's responsible for the hand-painted signs on some of Montreal's most iconic restaurants.
Quebec has awarded Alloprof more than $54 million over three years to develop a new platform dedicated to learning French to improve elementary and high school students' proficiency in the language.
A soggy start to October as an area of low pressure develops in northwest Alberta this morning.
It may have been a victory, but the Edmonton Oilers feel they are still very much a work in progress.
A church on Alexander First Nation was extensively damaged in a fire on Monday, local RCMP say.
A Progressive Conservative candidate in New Brunswick’s upcoming election is under fire Tuesday morning for a Facebook post she made on Truth and Reconciliation Day.
Northumberland Ferries Limited says ferry service between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island won’t resume for at least another two weeks as both vessels continue to undergo repairs.
The Fredericton Public Library is closed as police investigate a weekend break-in and vandalism inside the facility.
Minimum wage is set to increase on Tuesday in Manitoba.
Intense winds gusting in southern Manitoba over the weekend caused a flurry of problems on roadways and in homes.
A Manitoba highway is closed on Tuesday morning due to a car crash.
Saskatchewan residents will vote for their next provincial government on Oct. 28.
Exclusive polling data collected by Â鶹´«Ã½ in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they’re familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.
With the writ for Saskatchewan's provincial election set to be issued on Tuesday and election day scheduled for Oct. 28, residents have approximately one month to decide which MLA to vote for.
Those earning minimum wage in Ontario will now make more money per hour. The annual wage increase is tied to inflation and jumps to $17.20 per hour on Tuesday, marking a 3.9 per cent increase from the previous rate of $16.55 per hour.
Police said a woman, identified by friends and family as Susan Bard, was riding southbound when she was hit by the driver of a Ford sedan.
Communities across the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events honouring survivors of residential schools and remembering those who never made it home.
Saskatchewan residents will vote for their next provincial government on Oct. 28.
Exclusive polling data collected by Â鶹´«Ã½ in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they’re familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.
With the writ for Saskatchewan's provincial election set to be issued on Tuesday and election day scheduled for Oct. 28, residents have approximately one month to decide which MLA to vote for.
Provincial police say a 58-year-old central Ontario man was the pedestrian killed by a commercial vehicle on Highway 17 last week.
Timmins news: Highway 101 closed at Municipal Road
A 73-year-old man on a mobility scooter was killed Sunday night in Sudbury after being hit by a vehicle on Lasalle Boulevard and Barry Downe Road.
Police in Sarnia are investigating after a man was shot in the face and neck several times with a pellet gun. Around 2:10 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to an apartment building in the 100 block of East Street near Wellington Street for a weapons call.
A pair of homes are destroyed on Penhale Avenue in St. Thomas, Ont. after an electrical fire set a garage ablaze Sunday night.
According to police, the driver of a vehicle collided with a parked vehicle and fled the scene. Police were able to catch up and make an arrest not far from the original scene.
A federal offender wanted on a Canada-wide warrant after allegedly breaching his statutory release in May is in custody.
A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.
Members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) are sounding the alarm on a rising number of online and phone scams targeting residents.
The Windsor Police Service is asking for the public’s help in solving the theft of a signed Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers jersey.
Chatham-Kent police say a woman has been charged with assault after burning a bystander with a lighter during a dispute.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $11,000 US from an inbound American citizen at the Ambassador Bridge.
The B.C. Green Party is expected to be the first to roll out its complete election platform today.
The Department of National Defence is warning boaters to avoid a small island southwest of Victoria this week as the military conducts routine, but potentially dangerous, demolition training.
The New Democrats are campaigning for another term in British Columbia's provincial election but without many of the familiar faces that have graced lawn signs of elections past.
Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.
A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.
The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.
A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is taking the stand in his northeastern Ontario sexual assault trial.
Overnight on Thursday as the community of Elliot Lake was resting to prepare for the upcoming Kraft Hockeyville celebrations, when vandals struck a building that has been top of mind for the northern Ontario city for more than a year.
Ontario Provincial Police remind the public that ‘a case is never closed until it is solved,’ while highlighting the force's continued investigation of the 1996 disappearance of Melanie Ethier.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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