Kim Jong-un the North Korean leader who is also known to be a chain smoker, was spotted smoking a cigarette and then throwing the butt away inside the subway. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec.28 (Korea Bizwire) – Kim Jong-un the North Korean leader who is also known to be a chain smoker, was spotted smoking a cigarette and then throwing the butt away inside the subway.
The North Korean Central News Agency reported footage of Kim Jong-un participating in the test drive of a subway developed with their technology.
Kim boarded the subway at the Gaesun station in Pyungyang, riding through Tongil station, Seungri station, Bonghwa station and Yeonggwang station and back to Gaesun station, overseeing the whole process.
In the footage revealed by the Central News Agency, Kim is talking with the officials sitting in the passenger’s seat holding a cigarette. An ashtray is placed next to him.
A few minutes later, the cigarette disappeared from Kim’s hand. The cigarette butt was not in the ashtray, but it is seen lying on the floor of the subway, Kim seemed to have thrown away the cigarette inside the subway and not disposed of in the ashtray that was provided.
The cigarette butt was not in the ashtray, but it is seen lying on the floor of the subway, Kim seemed to have thrown away the cigarette inside the subway and not disposed of in the ashtray that was provided. (Image : Yonhap)
Although there were many people in the subway that might have found the burning cigarette and put it out, it could have been a very dangerous situation that could easily have caused a fire in the subway.
According to Kenji Fujimoto, the chef of Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un starting to smoke and drink when he was a teenager. He would also sometimes borrow cigarettes from him. Cited from his book, ‘Why Kim Jong-un is the North Korean successor’. Fujimoto also expresses Kim Jong-un as a ‘heavy smoker’ and recalls that Kim used to prefer Yves Saint Laurents.
At the test run of the subway, Kim Jong-un was spotted smoking 4 cigarettes during 6 minutes starting from when he was riding down the elevator to the platform.
Experts on North Korea comment that smoking in front of older people openly, which is considered to be highly rude in Korean culture, could be a sign of Kim Jong-un wanting to show his dictatorial domination over them.
It is said that smoking is a common thing in North Korea. According to a report issued by the WHO in 2012, the rate of smoking among North Korean men was 53 percent, which is the highest among 10 Asian countries.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
