Kenji Fujimoto

Kenji Fujimoto (藤本 健二, Fujimoto Kenji, born 1947) is the pen name of a Japanese chef who was the personal sushi chef of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 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. The veracity of his claims have been doubted by skeptics. However, Fujimoto correctly predicted that Kim Jong-un (who was relatively unknown at that time) would be appointed as his father's successor as Supreme Leader instead of Kim Jong-nam, which was contrary to the prevailing consensus of experts on North Korean politics.[1] Fujimoto's prediction proved true in December 2011.

Kenji Fujimoto
藤本 健二
Born1947 (age 73–74)
Japan
NationalityJapanese
OccupationChef, writer
Known forPersonal chef of Kim Jong-Il, defector
Notable work
Kim's Private Life and The Honorable General Who Loved Nuclear Weapons and Girls
Kim's Chef
I was Kim Jong-il's Cook (2003)

A classified U.S. diplomatic cable from Tokyo, leaked by WikiLeaks, revealed that he was the best and often the sole source of North Korean information for the Japanese spy agency.[2]

Arrival in North Korea

Fujimoto first visited North Korea in 1982.[3] Six years later, he became Kim's personal sushi chef on a salary of £45,000 a year (equivalent to £122,000 in 2019),[4] and was given two Mercedes cars.[5] 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.[3]

Claims

Fujimoto states that Kim Jong-il had a taste for "live fish"[6][7] and expensive alcohol such as French wines and brandies, particularly Hennessy cognac,[8] while claiming that both Jong-il and his third son, Kim Jong-un, "both like shark fin soup three times a week".[9] According to Fujimoto, he would travel the world for Kim Jong-il, all expenses paid, purchasing Chinese melons, Czech beer, Uzbek caviar, Thai papayas and Danish pork.[10] On one occasion, an envoy was sent to China to retrieve some McDonald's hamburgers.[11] Kim's wine cellar is filled with 10,000 bottles, he said,[12] and the banquets that Kim holds have lasted for four days.[13] 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.[14]

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 other guests, saying it amounted to "theft".[15] He said that Kim liked disco music, and preferred watching others dance, rather than dancing himself.[16] Fujimoto said he himself later married one of the women at a drunken wedding,[5] where he passed out on cognac and woke to find his pubic hair shaved.[17]

He has described Kim Jong-il as having a "violent temper".[13] In an interview on Japanese commercial television, he says that Kim Jong-un, then the heir apparent of 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."[9] Fujimoto says he was handed a photo of 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.[18] Jong-il's other son, Kim Jong-chul, was said by Jong-il to be "too feminine and unfit for leadership".[19]

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,[3] and that Kim Jong-il was severely affected by his father's death in 1994, and was even found with a gun at one point.[3] He was also reported to have asked Fujimoto in 1989 what he thought about nuclear weapons.[3]

Escape from North Korea

Fujimoto has stated that he thought about leaving for Japan on several occasions while in North Korea. On a visit to Japan in 1996, he was arrested after carrying a fake Dominican Republic passport.[3] In March 2001, shortly before he escaped via China to Japan for fear he was being spied upon,[3] he said he presented a videotape to Kim Jong-il of a sea urchin dish from a Japanese television show which he promised he would cook for him. Fujimoto said he would travel to Hokkaido to buy some sea urchin, to which Kim replied "That's a great idea. Go for it!"[20] On travelling to Japan, Fujimoto did not return to North Korea, and started living in hiding, after allegedly being targeted by North Korean agents.[4] He appeared on Japanese television with his face obscured as a "Kim Jong-il expert".[20] After publishing his memoir, I was Kim Jong-il's Cook, he wore a bullet-resistant vest.

Return to North Korea

In June 2012, Fujimoto received an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and on July 21, 2012, flew to Pyongyang via Beijing.[21] During his visit, he reportedly visited Kim Jong-un and his wife, and mentioned that Pyongyang had changed significantly over the last decade.[22] In 2017, Fujimoto opened a Japanese restaurant in Pyongyang.[23] In June 2019, media reports suggested Fujimoto had been arrested.[24] However, a month later, the British ambassador to North Korea, Colin Crooks, visited Fujimoto at his restaurant.[25] Japanese tourists are refused visits. The reason is unknown.[26]

Books

Fujimoto has written three books: Kim's Chef, Kim's Private Life and The Honorable General Who Loved Nuclear Weapons and Girls.[16] His 2003 memoir I was Kim Jong-il's Cook (also known as Kim's Chef) was a best-seller in Japan.[4]

See also
  • North Korean leader's residences that Kenji Fujimoto witnessed firsthand

References
  1. Fifield, Anna (January 8, 2016). "What do we know about Kim Jong Un? Very little. That makes this guy an expert". Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  2. "Cable leak: Japan has spy agency". The Japan Times. February 22, 2011.
  3. Foster-Carter, Aidan (July 2, 2003). Cook and tell: Another chef spills the beans. Asia Times Online.
  4. McCurry, Justin (March 18, 2004). Kim Jong-il's chef spills the beans. The Guardian.
  5. Watts, Jonathan (July 20, 2003). Chef serves up Kim's life of sushi and orgy. The Guardian.
  6. North Korean leader gobbles live fish with gusto. The Times of India. June 3, 2009.
  7. Leach, Ben (June 3, 2009). North Korea's Kim Jong-il 'eats live fish' claims former chef. The Daily Telegraph.
  8. Joyce, Colin (July 21, 2003). Catering to the excesses of a self-indulgent dictator. The Age.
  9. Chef lifts lid on Kim's cognac kid. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. June 4, 2009
  10. Kim Jong-il Satisfies his Gourmet Appetite while his People Starve. The Chosun Ilbo. June 27, 2004.
  11. Bone, James (October 14, 2006). UN takes aim at Kim's luxuries. The Times.
  12. North Korea runs its first televised beer ad. NBC News. July 5, 2009.
  13. McCurry, Justin (July 17, 2006). Kim Jong-il's wine, women and bombs. Taipei Times.
  14. Demick, Barbara (June 26, 2004). Rich Taste in a Poor Country. The Los Angeles Times.
  15. Fear of chef who pampered Kim. Sydney Morning Herald. March 18, 2004.
  16. Petrun, Erin (December 21, 2006). Kim Jong Il: Party Guy. CBS News. December 21, 2006
  17. Kurlantzick, Joshua (October 2006) "The World's Most Dangerous Power Struggle". GQ.
  18. 1st Picture of Kim Jong-il's Youngest Son Revealed. The Chosun Ilbo. February 13, 2009.
  19. Brother-in-law is kingmaker. The Straits Times. February 15, 2009.
  20. Fujimoto (2004).
  21. "Kim Jong Il's ex-chef heads to N. Korea at invitation of Kim Jong Un". The Mainichi. Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. July 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  22. September 19, 2012, Kim Jong Il's sushi chef returns after fleeing for life, CNN
  23. "Sushi in Pyongyang: Japanese chef opens rare restaurant". AP NEWS. March 5, 2017.
  24. Ryall, Julian (June 28, 2019). "North Korea 'arrests' Japanese chef who served Kim family for 13 years". The Telegraph.
  25. Crooks, Colin [@ColinCrooks1] (July 23, 2019). "Lunch today prepared by Master Chef #KenjiFujimoto at his #Pyongyang Japanese restaurant. Sashimi set was excellent #britishembassy #DPRK #NorthKorea" (Tweet). Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
  26. やはり藤本健二氏の日本料理たかはしへ行けなくなっていた 日本人が拒否される理由は？ (in Japanese). KoreaWorldTimes. September 26, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
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