North Korea is observing a 10-day period of mourning to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of its first leader, Kim Il Sung – grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong-un.  But a noticeable change from Pyongyang’s past practice has observers wondering what’s going on.

Kim Jong-un was shown on television walking with a slight limp.  Nothing much, but it’s clear that his leg is stiff and walking is a little uncomfortable.

That’s a giant change from six decades of Pyongyang depicting its leaders as larger than life, and almost super-human.  The decision to broadcast a limping Kim has been interpreted by some foreign observers as an interesting departure from past precedent.  North Korea has not explained how Kim might have hurt his leg, or why it aired video of Kim limping.

Over the years, North Korean propaganda has described the lives of members of the Kim line as beginning with almost supernatural births, maturing into invincible physical specimens perpetually in peak condition. 

But Grandpa Kim Il-sung had a tennis ball-sized tumor on the back of his neck that forced propagandists to make sure they only photographed him from certain angles.  Father Kim Jong-il was overweight and would disappear from public view from time to time, when western observers believed he would go to China for medical treatment.  He was believed to have battled pancreatic cancer at the end of his life in 2011.

Kim Jong-un is rumored to be a heavy smoker, as well as being visibly overweight.