Why Kim Jong-un is making headlines

Kim Jong-un is the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea. Kim is the third and youngest son of Kim Jong-il and his consort Ko Yong-hui.

The North Korean Leader?
Yes.

What about him?
Did you know the Chinese have mean nicknames for Kim Jong-un?

What kinda nicknames?
Well, people mockingly call him ‘Kim the Fat’ and variations such as ‘Kim Fat III’ or ‘Kim Fatty III’ or ‘Kim Fatty Fat Fat’. The names appeared on many social media sites throughout the year.

Fatty kim?!
Yeah! Speculation over the North Korean leader’s apparent weight gain has been a source of growing fascination in neighbouring China.

It is definitely mean.
It is. And that is why North Korean officials have reportedly asked the Chinese government to ban internet users from calling Kim Jong-un ‘fatty’ on social media.

How’s that?
The Chinese government censors are blocking any offending nicknames on social media. Websites have blocked searches for ‘Fatty Kim the III’, with China's foreign ministry saying it does not approve of ridiculing foreign leaders. Searches for the expression returned no results.

But what if someone searches other nicknames?
That’s a possibility. Many Chinese took to Weibo to suggest multiple other terms which sound similar to 'Fatty Kim the III' and which are not blocked.

What’s with this Kim hatred?
The relationship between the North Korea and China is a delicate one, especially following the nuclear tests carried out by the Kim regime earlier this year. China has joined other countries in condemning the programme.

But you don’t fat-shame someone because of it.
True. Now it remains to be seen how this ban works out. In March, China unblocked internet searches that referred to Kim derogatorily. 'Kim Fat Fat Fat' and 'Kim Half Moon' are still accessible.