This is the bizarre moment newly slim Kim Jong-un rides a white horse in a propaganda video as he brushes off health fears.
In fresh footage aired on state-run TV, the despot can be seen sitting atop the pony as it gallops through a forest, while another clip shows him on the horse at a beach taking in a sunset.
A white horse is a key symbol of his family’s dynastic rule, with the clips of him on the pony booking a new documentary that touts his economic leadership.
Video revealed in the documentary, titled 2021: A Great Victorious Year, also shows Kim apparently struggling to walk down a slope after his dramatic weight loss sparked concerns about his health.
Regime propaganda claimed the despot’s body “completely withered away” last year out of “suffering” for the people of his impoverished nation.
It comes after a month-long disappearance that raised fresh doubts about who was in charge of the nuclear-armed pariah state.
Kim reemerged in December looking gaunt and thinner than ever after he reportedly shed 44 pounds in the summer.
But in new footage from the documentary, the tyrant – wearing a baggy shirt and trousers that hang off him – is seen gingerly stepping down a ramp on a rainy construction site last August.
He goes down sideways slowly placing his feet on wooden battens – while his uniformed lackeys walk normally down the slope facing forwards.
Addressing Kim’s weight loss, the narrator says: “He showed us his fatherly side by doggedly braving snow, rain and wind while taking on the fate of the nation and people like his own children.”
“His body completely withered away, and he showed his motherly side by greatly suffering and worrying to realize the dreams of the people.”
According to a top doctor, Kim is likely to have had a gastric sleeve operation to help him shed 40lbs from his flabby frame.
dr. Kenneth Dekleva, a former physician-diplomat at the US State Department, told The Sun Online that a bariatric procedure is the most likely reason for the North Korean leader’s dramatic weight loss.
The analyst, who is a senior Fellow at the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, however said Kim likely remains at risk of a heart attack or stroke despite cleaning up his health.
dr. Dekleva told The Sun Online: “The rapidity and amount of his recent weight loss is consistent with a bariatric surgery procedure, probably a gastric sleeve or bypass procedure.”
Kim’s dramatic weight swings have long been the subject of speculation.
South Korean spies said he put on more than 14 pounds a year after taking power, and he ballooned to a rumored 308 pounds after gorging on cheese and wine.
Doctors warned he was a “heart attack waiting to happen” and at high risk of early death.
He is also reported to suffer from gout – joint pain linked to a rich diet – which could perhaps explain his difficulty on the slope.
The propaganda doc comes after Kim launched his seventh missile test of the year – including what is thought to be its biggest one since 2017.
In the latest launch last Sunday, officials in Japan reported the firing of a possible ballistic missile from Jagang Province.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.