North Korea's media released undated images of leader Kim Jong Un amid rumours that he died from a brain haemorrhage. The New York Post described these images as a fresh batch of apparent “proof of life” photos.
The images shared by North Korean state media KCNA and NK News showed Kim Jong Un inspecting shoes and women’s clothing. The images showed a seemingly animated Kim gesturing toward officials and inspecting women’s coats at a garment and footwear exhibition.
Sharing the pictures, KCNA reported that Kim toured a 2026 exhibition on Monday. However, the photographs have not been independently authenticated and it remains unclear exactly when they were taken.
Kim Jong Un on Monday "looked round the venue of the garment and footwear exhibition of the field of light industry," DPRK state media said.
According to the NYP, the photos surfaced just hours after sensational claims circulated online that the 42-year-old leader had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, fallen into a coma and died after being rushed to Beijing for emergency treatment.
What does these photos show?
In one image published on KCNA website, Kim Jong Un could be seen bending forward to inspect a tiny pink shoe held by a young woman wearing a pale pink, double-breasted dress.
Another shows the North Korean strongman standing with his legs apart, his arms outstretched and his mouth open as he appears to speak emphatically with an official.
A third captures Kim reaching toward the sleeve of a rust-colored women’s coat displayed on a mannequin, while several aides trail behind him.
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Kim Jong Un 'dead' claim
Kim's apparent public appearance came after Wanjun Xie, a US-based Chinese dissident associated with the China Democracy Party, posted a series of explosive allegations on X on Sunday.
Xie alleged that the North Korean leader slipped into a coma before being transferred to Beijing, where doctors were unable to save him.
Xie initially claimed that Kim had died and that China had dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang amid fears of a succession crisis.
He alleged that a team of specialists from Beijing’s Peking Union Medical College Hospital had been sent to North Korea on Saturday to treat Kim following a severe cerebral hemorrhage.
His body was then secretly returned to North Korea, Xie claimed.
However, none of these allegations were substantiated by medical records, photographs, identifiable witnesses or other independently verifiable evidence.
The latest photographs by KCNA appear intended to dispel speculation about the North Korean leader’s fate, although Pyongyang has not explicitly addressed the death reports.
Mystery around Kim's health
Kim’s health has long been a subject of international scrutiny. On September 30, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that Kim weighed roughly 140 kilograms — about 309 pounds — and faced an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease because of his severe obesity.
Nevertheless, the spy agency said it had detected no significant signs of ill health, reportedly citing Kim’s ability to run up stairs during an inspection of a naval destroyer.
North Korean state media previously reported that Kim attended the inauguration of the National Defense Revolution Museum on Oct. 11, with an account of the ceremony published two days later.
That appearance preceded the alleged medical emergency and therefore could not refute claims that his condition had suddenly deteriorated.
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