• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly wears special shoes to make himself look taller.
  • Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, analyzed videos and photographs of the recent historic summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in and found there was a very high slope on the front of his shoes.
  • Based on the analysis from the South Korean newspaper, Kim’s shoes help him gain an inch or two.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly wears special shoes to make himself look taller.

Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, analyzed videos and photographs of the recent historic summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in and found there was a very high slope on the front of his shoes. This seemingly suggests his shoes contain insoles that push his feet upward.

Kim was thought to be about 5′ 7″, according to The Washigton Post, but this new analysis of his shoes suggests he’s actually closer to 5′ 4″.

The North Korean leader appeared to be roughly an inch shorter than Moon in photographs of their meeting, and the South Korean leader is reportedly roughly 5′ 6″. Based on the analysis from the South Korean newspaper, Kim’s shoes help him gain an inch or two.

Kim Jong Un Moon Jae-in

Foto: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Friday, April 27, 2018. source Associated Press

Kim's late father, Kim Jong Il, apparently wore lifts in his shoes to increase his height as well, according to some reports.

North Korean leaders are notorious for inflating their physical attributes, hence the notion they would modify their shoes to look taller is not particularly unbelievable. But it does reinforce the widely held perception that Kim is a tremendously insecure person, especially when it comes to his appearance. The North Korean leader, for example, has reportedly had images of him photoshopped to make his ears look smaller.

Kim is set to meet President Donald Trump at some point in the near future to discuss his country's nuclear program. Trump is reportedly 6' 3", though his height is also a subject of debate and his medical reports have proven to be quite suspect. Regardless, it's clear the US president is much taller than the North Korean leader, so he'll have to make significant modifications to his shoes if he wants to appear close in height to Trump when they meet.