Kenji Fujimoto
Kenji Fujimoto (藤本 健二, Fujimoto Kenji) is the pen name of the Japanese man alleged to have been former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's personal sushi chef from 1988 to 2001. Fujimoto published a memoir in 2003 entitled I was Kim Jong Il's Cook, detailing many of his experiences with Kim Jong-il.
Arrival in North Korea
Fujimoto first visited North Korea in 1982.[1] Six years later, he became Kim's personal sushi chef on a salary of £45,000 a year,[2] and was given two Mercedes.[3] Soon after, he became Kim's companion; both men, according to Kenji, went shooting, riding and water-skiing together. He confirmed a widely believed rumour that Kim had a serious fall from his horse in 1992, breaking his collar bone and lying unconscious for several hours.[1]
Claims
Fujimoto states that Kim Jong-il had a taste for "live fish"[4][dead link][5] and expensive alcohol such as French wines and brandies, particularly Hennessy cognac,[6] while claiming that both Kim and his third son, Kim Jong-un, "both like shark fin soup three times a week."[7] According to Fujimoto, he would travel the world for Kim, all expenses paid, purchasing Chinese melons, Czech beer, Uzbek caviar, Thai papayas and Danish pork.[8][dead link] On one occasion, an envoy was sent to China to retrieve some McDonald's hamburgers.[9][dead link] Kim's wine cellar is filled with 10,000 bottles, he said,[10] and the banquets that Kim holds have lasted for four days.[11] Fujimoto also said there is an institute based in Pyongyang staffed by 200 individuals devoted entirely to Kim Jong-il's diet, ensuring he eats the best and most healthy foods.[12]
He also spoke of "Kim's Joy Division"—young women chosen to dance for, sing for and bathe Kim, who would be instructed to undress but not allowed to be touched by him or his guards, saying it amounted to "theft".[13] He said that Kim liked disco music, and preferred watching others dance, rather than dancing himself.[14] Fujimoto said he himself later married one of the women at a drunken wedding,[3] where he passed out on cognac and woke to find his pubic hair shaved.[15][dead link]
He has described Kim Jong-il as having a "violent temper".[11] In an interview on Japanese commercial television, he says that Kim Jong-un, then the heir apparent of Kim Jong-il, "knows how to be angry and how to praise. He has the ability to lead people... also he loves basketball, roller-blading, snowboarding and skiing... I watched him play golf once and he reminded me of a top Japanese professional."[7] Fujimoto says he was handed a photo of Kim Jong-un when he was younger, adding they refused to share recent photos with him. He was told not to make the photo public, however in February 2009, he released the photo.[16][dead link] Kim's other son, Kim Jong-chul, was said by Kim to be "too feminine and unfit for leadership".[17][dead link]
In addition to these claims, Fujimoto spoke of a nuclear accident in 1995 at an unnamed plant, where several workers became ill and lost their teeth,[1] and that Kim Jong-il was severely affected by his father's death in 1994 where he was found with a gun at one point.[1] He was also reported to have asked Fujimoto in 1989 what he thought about nuclear weapons.[1]
Escape from North Korea
Fujimoto said he thought about leaving for Japan on several occasions. On a visit to Japan in 1996, he was arrested after carrying a fake Dominican Republic passport.[1] In March 2001, shortly before he defected via China to Japan for fear he was being spied upon,[1] he said he presented to Kim Jong-il a videotape of a sea urchin dish from a Japanese television show which he promised he would cook for him. Fujimoto said he would travel to Hokkaidō to buy some sea urchin, to which Kim replied "That's a great idea. Go for it!"[18] On travelling to Japan, Fujimoto never returned and has lived in hiding since, after allegedly being targeted by North Korean agents.[2] He appears on Japanese television with his face obscured as a "Kim Jong-il expert."[18] After publishing I was Kim Jong Il's Cook, he has worn a bulletproof vest for safety issues. His wife, a former popular singer, and children are still living in North Korea.
Books
Fujimoto has written three books: Kim's Chef, Kim's Private Life and The Honorable General Who Loved Nuclear Weapons and Girls.[14] His 2003 memoir I was Kim Jong Il's Cook (also known as Kim's Chef) was a bestseller in Japan.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Foster-Carter, Aidan (July 2, 2003). Cook and tell: Another chef spills the beans. Asia Times Online.
- ^ a b c McCurry, Justin (March 18, 2004). Kim Jong-il's chef spills the beans. The Guardian.
- ^ a b Watts, Jonathan (July 20, 2003). Chef serves up Kim's life of sushi and orgy. The Guardian.
- ^ North Korean leader gobbles live fish with gusto. The Times of India. June 3, 2009.
- ^ Leach, Ben (June 3, 2009). North Korea's Kim Jong-il 'eats live fish' claims former chef. The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Joyce, Colin (July 21, 2003). Catering to the excesses of a self-indulgent dictator. The Age.
- ^ a b Chef lifts lid on Kim's cognac kid. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. June 4, 2009
- ^ Kim Jong-il Satisfies his Gourmet Appetite while his People Starve. The Chosun Ilbo. June 27, 2004.
- ^ Bone, James (October 14, 2006). UN takes aim at Kim's luxuries. The Times.
- ^ North Korea runs its first televised beer ad. MSNBC. July 5, 2009.
- ^ a b McCurry, Justin (July 17, 2006). Kim Jong-il's wine, women and bombs. Taipei Times.
- ^ Demick, Barbara (June 26, 2004). Rich Taste in a Poor Country. The Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Fear of chef who pampered Kim. Sydney Morning Herald. March 18, 2004.
- ^ a b Petrun, Erin (December 21, 2006). Kim Jong Il: Party Guy. CBS News.
- ^ Carlson, Peter (December 29, 2005). Of tykes and tyrants. St. Petersburg Times.
- ^ 1st Picture of Kim Jong-il's Youngest Son Revealed. The Chosun Ilbo. February 13, 2009.
- ^ Brother-in-law is kingmaker. The Straits Times. February 15, 2009.
- ^ a b Fujimoto (2004).
External links
- Fujimoto, Kenji. (2004). I Was Kim Jong Il's Cook. The Atlantic Monthly. 293(1), 108—109.