Has Kim Jong-un undergone plastic surgery to resemble grandpa?

London, Oct 5 (ANI): Rumours are rife that Kim Jong-un, the heir to the North Korean regime, has undergone plastic surgery in a bid to more closely resemble his grandfather, the deeply respected Kim Il-sung. he speculation began in South Korea after the release last week of the first official photographs of the 27-year-old son of Kim Jong-il.

The images show a chubby, nervous looking young man sitting in the front row of a packed auditorium as he was named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party and a four-star general.

In the images, the family resemblance between Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-un is obvious.

The youngest in the Kim dynasty has the same chubby cheeks as his grandfather, a double chin and the familiar mouth that turns down at the ends.

In fact, he is also sporting a hairstyle- very short at the sides and swept back on top-which is just like his predecessor preferred. he images are in stark contrast to previous photographs, which depict Kim as a slender teenager who looks nothing like his paternal grandfather.

South Korean newspapers suggested that in the intervening years he had undergone surgery to boost his standing with the public.

According to the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, Pyongyang was hoping to cement Kim's position as the country's next leader through a "reincarnation of North Korea's late founder."

"A lot of people in South Korea have pointed out that Kim's face is very different from when he was young, particularly the shape of his chin," the Telegraph quoted Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and author of a number of books on the North Korean leadership, as saying.

"From previous photos, everyone had remarked that he looked nothing like his grandfather, so the change is quite dramatic," he added.

The JoongAng Sunday newspaper reported that it had secretly interviewed three people in North Korea by mobile phone and that there has been similar speculation in the North since their new leader-in-waiting was unveiled. (ANI)