'Fatty Kim the Third' Not an OK Nickname in China

Chinese Internet users apparently have to search for news of Kim Jong Un by his given name, or at least not via the term "Jin San Pang"—meaning "Fatty Kim the Third." The phrase has been blocked on Chinese websites including social media site Weibo and search engine Baidu, reportedly at North Korea's request, per Reuters and the AP. According to a Hong Kong newspaper, North Korean officials formally asked that China block searches for the term, which is popular among Chinese users online, perhaps because it manages to insult Kim as well as his father and grandfather.

Searches for the term return no results, though users can still search for "Kim Fat Fat Fat," notes the AP. In a vague statement, a rep for the Foreign Ministry says China has "a rational, cultured, and healthy environment for public opinion" and any reports that it banned searches for the term "did not accord with the facts," though China "does not approve of insulting or ridiculing language to address any country's leader." (Kim really is packing on the pounds.)