North Korean Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un has been missing for nearly three weeks–including being conspicuously absent from the Supreme Peoples Assembly, North Korea’s rubber stamp legislature. The session typically features the Supreme Leader meeting all of North Korea’s highest ranking party and military officials, but this year he was represented by an empty chair. Conspiracy theories explaining Kim Jong Un’s absence have been running wild and range from the comically absurd to dangerous plots of intrigue.
Tabloids in Britain are suggesting that Kim could have become ill from eating too much imported cheese. The Daily Mirror claims that the dictator has developed an infatuation with Emmental cheese and may be suffering some complications associated with a dramatic weight gain. While no sources are provided, it may not be out of the realm of possibility considering the family’s odd affection for western luxuries at the expense of their impoverished citizens.
A more likely explanation comes from South Korean intelligence officials who speculate that a power struggle in the capital may be afoot. The first signs of military plots against the Supreme Leader emerged in 2013 when Kim Jong Un had his uncle executed to consolidate power and warn off other officials.
North Korea’s official state media is refusing to comment.