Kenji Fujimoto
| Kenji Fujimoto | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 藤本 健二 |
| Born | 1947 (age 69–70) Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Chef, writer |
| Known for | Personal 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) |
Kenji Fujimoto (藤本 健二 Fujimoto Kenji?, born 1947) is the pen name of a Japanese chef who claimed that he was 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. Many people doubted the veracity of his claim. However, Fujimoto, contrary to the prevailing consensus of experts on North Korean politics, asserted that Kim Jong-un (who was relatively unknown at that time), rather than Kim Jong-nam, would be appointed as Jong-il's successor. Fujimoto's prediction proved true when Jong-un succeeded his father as Supreme Leader in December 2011.
A classified U.S. diplomatic cable from Tokyo, leaked by , revealed that he was the best and often the sole source of North Korean information for the Japanese spy agency.
Fujimoto first visited North Korea in 1982. Six years later, he became Jong-il's personal sushi chef on a salary of £45,000 a year, and was given two Mercedes cars. Soon after, he became Jong-il's companion; both men, according to Kenji, went shooting, riding and water-skiing together. He confirmed a widely believed rumour that Jong-il had a serious fall from his horse in 1992, breaking his collar bone and lying unconscious for several hours.
Fujimoto states that Kim Jong-il had a taste for "live fish" and expensive alcohol such as French wines and brandies, particularly Hennessy cognac, while claiming that both Jong-il and his third son, Kim Jong-un, "both like shark fin soup three times a week". 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 hamburgers. Kim's wine cellar is filled with 10,000 bottles, he said, and the banquets that Kim holds have lasted for four days. 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.
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