Kim Jong-un's eyebrows are disappearing
His New Year messages have been getting increasingly less hairy
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Your support makes all the difference.Forget Sony Pictures: Now it’s Kim Jong-un’s eyebrows that have been hacked.
In a piece titled “Brow you see them,” the South China Morning Post noted North Korea’s Supreme Leader appeared at a New Year’s Day speech sans what scientists call supercilium.
“In what appeared to be a case of severe over-plucking, Kim’s brows appeared to be significantly shorter than on earlier occasions, sitting above his eyes like little dashes,” the paper wrote.
It’s hard to tell from pictures.
Kim’s new look distracted from a speech in which he offered to enter “high-level talks” with South Korea.
“We believe we can resume suspended senior-level talks and hold other talks on specific issues if South Korea sincerely has a position that it wants to improve North-South relations through a dialogue,” the sheared Kim said, perhaps inspired by a post on the Web site Celebs With No Eyebrows. “And there is no reason not to hold the highest-level talks if the atmosphere and conditions are met.”
As the Hermit Kingdom is not known for its public relations skills, Kim’s appearance is often scrutinized by those looking for hints at the nation’s next move. When Kim sported a walking stick — or cane, depending on the news report — in October, it wasn’t just gout or diabetes, but a pointed message, some said.
“A South Korean analyst said Kim probably broke his media silence to dispel outside speculation that he wasn’t in control and to win sympathy from a domestic audience by creating the image of a leader who works through pain,” Fox noted.
In 2013, North Korea also had to deny Kim had plastic surgery to look like his grandfather, North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung.
“The false report … released by enemies is a hideous criminal act which the party, state, army and people can never tolerate,” North Korea’s news agency said.
For the record, Kim has sported trimmed eyebrows before. His look, like his position on detente with South Korea, is perhaps evolving.
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