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Unfounded claims that North Korean leader suffered health emergency trended on social media before reaching tabloids
Kim and his daughter at the expo | Image: Rodong Sinmun (Oct. 20, 2026)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a clothing and shoe expo with his daughter on Monday, state media reported the following day, amid a flurry of unfounded rumors about his death on social media that became tabloid fodder.
The rumors appeared to start spreading on social media site X from Sunday to Monday after at least two popular anti-Chinese Communist Party profiles claimed without evidence that Kim had died or fallen into a coma and been rushed to a hospital in Beijing.
As of late Monday U.S. time, the rumor was mentioned in the list of top trending topics
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