North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center left, and his daughter Ju-ae, center right, visit the Garment and Footwear Exhibition in Pyongyang on Oct. 19 in footage carried by the state-run Korean Central Television on Oct. 20.YONHAP
North Korea on Tuesday dispelled rumors that its leader, Kim Jong-un, died after suffering a brain hemorrhage by releasing photographs of him and his daughter at a recent public event.
Rumors that Kim had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was rushed to a hospital in Beijing had recently spread across social media, according to reports by the New York Post, Britain’s The Sun and India’s The Economic Times.
No concrete evidence has surfaced to support the rumors of Kim’s death.
The outlets traced the rumors to a social media post by Xie Wanjun, a Chinese dissident based in the United States who identifies himself as chairman of the China Democracy Party, an organization banned in China. He has previously circulated false claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping had died or was using a body double.
In a post on X on Monday, Xie relayed that Kim had collapsed and lost consciousness after suffering a sudden brain hemorrhage and later died despite an emergency transfer to a hospital in Beijing due to North Korea’s inadequate medical facilities.
His post spawned rumors that Kim’s younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, the head of the Workers’ Party’s General Affairs Department, had taken power, and that the Chinese Communist Party had sent troops to Pyongyang to support the succession of Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae. No evidence backed these allegations.
Kim Jong-un, center, his daughter and officials visit the Garment and Footwear Exhibition in Pyongyang on Oct. 19 in footage carried by the state-run Korean Central Television on Oct. 20.YONHAP
North Korea appeared to push back against the rumors on Tuesday, as the state-run Korean Central News Agency and Korean Central Television reported that Kim Jong-un had visited the Garment and Footwear Exhibition in Pyongyang the previous day.
The outlets also released photographs of him touring the exhibition with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his daughter, with the family browsing women’s coats and children’s shoes. Other images show the leader speaking with officials.
This marked the first time in eight days that state media released photographs of Kim Jong-un at a public event. The last images show him at the opening ceremony of the National Defense Revolution Museum under the Second Economy Commission on Oct. 11.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
