is the pen name of a Japanese chef who was the personal

sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice," also ...

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 were initially 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 Kim Jong-nam (, ; 10 May 1971 – 13 February 2017) was the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. From roughly 1994 to 2001, he was considered the heir apparent to his father. He was thought to have fallen out of favour after em ...

Kim Jong-chul Kim Jong-chul (; born 25 September 1981), sometimes spelled Kim Jong Chol, is a son of former North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il. His younger brother is current Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. His older half-brother Kim Jong-nam was assas ...

, which was contrary to the prevailing consensus of experts on North Korean politics. Fujimoto's prediction proved true in December 2011. A classified U.S. diplomatic cable from Tokyo, leaked by

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...

, revealed that he was the best and often the sole source of North Korean information for the

Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office The , also known as , is a Japanese intelligence agency under the Cabinet Secretariat responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information for the cabinet. As a principal member of the Japanese intelligence communit ...

Biography

Arrival in North Korea

Fujimoto first visited North Korea in 1982.Foster-Carter, Aidan (July 2, 2003)
Cook and tell: Another chef spills the beans
''

Asia Times Online ''Asia Times'' (), formerly known as ''Asia Times Online'', is a Hong Kong-based English language news media publishing group, covering politics, economics, business and culture from an Asian perspective. ''Asia Times'' publishes in English an ...

''. Six years later, he became Kim's personal sushi chef on a salary of £45,000 a year (),McCurry, Justin (March 18, 2004)
Kim Jong-il's chef spills the beans
. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. and was given two Mercedes cars.Watts, Jonathan (July 20, 2003)
Chef serves up Kim's life of sushi and orgy
. ''

''. 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 The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the righ ...

and lying unconscious for several hours.

Claims

Fujimoto states that Kim Jong-il had a taste for "live fish" and expensive alcohol such as French wines and brandies, particularly

Hennessy cognac Jas Hennessy & Co., commonly known simply as Hennessy (), is a French producer of cognac, which has its headquarters in Cognac, France. It is one of the "big four" cognac houses, along with Martell (cognac), Martell, Courvoisier, and Rémy Martin ...

, while claiming that both Jong-il and his third son, Kim Jong-un, "both like

shark fin soup Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish served in parts of China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as ...

three times a week".Chef lifts lid on Kim's cognac kid

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

. June 4, 2009 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. On one occasion, an envoy was sent to China to retrieve some

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

hamburgers. Kim's

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system ...

is filled with 10,000 bottles, he said, and the banquets that Kim holds have lasted for four days.McCurry, Justin (July 17, 2006)
Kim Jong-il's wine, women and bombs
. ''

Taipei Times The ''Taipei Times'' is the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan, and the third established there. Online competitors include the state-owned '' Focus Taiwan'' and '' Taiwan News''; '' The China Post'' was formerly a compet ...

''. Fujimoto also said there is an institute based in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

staffed by 200 individuals devoted entirely to Kim Jong-il's diet, ensuring he eats the best and most healthy foods. He also spoke of "Kim's Pleasure Squad": 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". He said that Kim liked

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano ...

, and preferred watching others dance, rather than dancing himself.Petrun, Erin (December 21, 2006)
Kim Jong Il: Party Guy
. CBS News. December 21, 2006 Fujimoto said he himself later married one of the women at a drunken wedding, where he passed out on

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

and woke to find his pubic hair shaved. He has described Kim Jong-il as having a "violent temper". 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." 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. Jong-il's other son,

, was said by Jong-il to be "too feminine and unfit for leadership". 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, and that Kim Jong-il was severely affected by his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

's death in 1994, and was even found with a gun at one point. He was also reported to have asked Fujimoto in 1989 what he thought about nuclear weapons.

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 The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

passport. In March 2001, shortly before he escaped via China to Japan for fear he was being spied upon, 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 is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

to buy some sea urchin, to which Kim replied "That's a great idea. Go for it!"Fujimoto (2004). On travelling to Japan, Fujimoto did not return to North Korea, and started living in hiding, after allegedly being targeted by North Korean agents. He appeared on Japanese television with his face obscured as a "Kim Jong-il expert". 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. During his visit, he reportedly visited Kim Jong-un and his wife, and mentioned that Pyongyang had changed significantly over the last decade. In 2017, Fujimoto opened a Japanese restaurant in Pyongyang. In June 2019, media reports suggested Fujimoto had been arrested. However, a month later, the British ambassador to North Korea,

Colin Crooks Colin Crooks LVO is a British diplomat serving as the British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea since 2022. Previously he served as British Ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from December 2018 to December 2021. Prio ...

, visited Fujimoto at his restaurant. Japanese tourists are refused visits. The reason is unknown.

Books

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

References

External links

* Fujimoto, Kenji. (2004)
I Was Kim Jong Il's Cook
''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. 293(1), 108—109. * Johnson, Adam. (2013)
Dear Leader Dreams of Sushi
'' GQ'' July 2013.. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujimoto, Kenji 1947 births Living people Japanese chefs Japanese memoirists Japanese writers Pseudonymous writers Japanese expatriates in North Korea