North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took the centre stage in a parade on Thursday as the audience admired a relatively thinner and leaner commander-in-chief, according to US media reports.

The parade also showcased COVID-19 frontline workers, who wore orange coloured hazmat suits, and military dogs who marched for the audience.

During the event late Wednesday, Kim, wearing a cream-colored suit and a shiny white tie, emerged as the clock struck midnight. He beamed in response to thunderous applause from performers and spectators filling Pyongyang’s brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Square, named after his grandfather, the country’s founder, according to reports from Associated Press.

The North Korean leader then went on to greet the children who gave him flowers and waved towards the crowds. While sitting on a balcony and watching the parade, Kim Jong Un also chatted with senior officials of the country’s military and applauded the marchers with a wide smile.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at the Ewha Woman’s University in South Korea, said Kim Jong Un’s “face is clearly thinner and he is moving much more vigorously”, according to AP reports.

The North Korean leader’s weight loss became visually noticeable in June 2021, when he made his first public appearance in weeks to convene a ruling party meeting.

Some North Korea watchers then said that Kim Jung Un, who is about 170 centimeters tall and has previously weighed 140 kilograms, may have lost 10-20 kilograms, Associated Press reported.

Experts say that Kim Jong Un’s transformation may have political purposes. Media reports also suggest that his weight loss is likely a result of efforts to improve his shape than an indicator of health problems.

The North Korean leader’s health made headlines in 2018 when he was seen breathless while walking alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in on a short hike to North Korea’s Mount Paektu.