Unfounded rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suffered a brain hemorrhage and died are spreading overseas. North Korea has released photographs of Kim visiting an exhibition with his family, and South Korean diplomatic and security officials dismissed the claims as absurd.
Who Started the Rumor?
According to the New York Post, Britain's The Sun and the Daily Express on the 20th, claims circulated online that Kim suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and was transferred to Beijing, China, but ultimately died.
The claims also held that his body was secretly repatriated to North Korea and that his sister, Workers' Party Vice Department Director Kim Yo-jong, had seized power.
The main source of the rumor is Xie Wanjun, a Chinese dissident based in the United States. He is known to have taken part in the 1989 Tiananmen democracy movement and describes himself as a leader of the China Democracy Party.
Xie claimed on X, formerly Twitter, on the 18th that medical staff from Peking Union Medical College Hospital were dispatched to North Korea on the 17th to treat Kim. He added that Kim was later transferred to Beijing because of North Korea's poor medical conditions but died after treatment came too late, and that North Korean authorities are concealing the death.
Xie also claimed that China deployed 9,000 troops to Pyongyang in preparation for turmoil over the succession, but presented no objective evidence such as medical records or eyewitness accounts.
On the 20th, he further claimed that Kim Yo-jong, rather than Kim's daughter Kim Ju-ae, holds real power and is reviewing warning broadcasts aimed at South Korea and an expansion of tactical strike capabilities.
The claims spread from the United States and Britain to media outlets in India, Ukraine and Turkey. Most of those reports cited social media posts, and the New York Post also said there was no verified evidence to support the death claims.
North Korea Releases Exhibition Photos as Officials Call Rumor Absurd
As the rumors spread, North Korea's state media released photographs of Kim's public activities.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 20th that Kim visited the National Clothing and Footwear Exhibition 2026 in Pyongyang the previous day with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae.
The photographs show Kim examining pink children's shoes, touching the sleeve of a women's coat and spreading both arms while speaking to officials.
The release is seen as an attempt to dispel speculation about his health. The exact date the photographs were taken has not been independently verified, however, and North Korea has not directly addressed the death claims.
Officials at South Korea's diplomatic and security ministries said they had never heard of the rumor and called it absurd.
Benedict Rogers, a North Korea expert, told The Sun that past deaths of North Korean leaders were followed by collective mourning among residents and emotional coverage by state media. No such signs have been observed inside North Korea so far, he said.
Similar Rumor in 2020 Also Proved False
This is not the first time rumors of Kim's death have circulated. In April 2020, speculation that he was gravely ill spread after he skipped an event marking the birthday of late leader Kim Il-sung, and former lawmaker Ji Seong-ho said at the time that he put the likelihood of death at 99%.
Kim later appeared in public, confirming the claim was false, and Ji apologized. In May of last year, a rumor that Kim lost consciousness during an on-site inspection in Wonsan, Kangwon Province, North Korea, also went unconfirmed.
Analysts attribute the recurrence of such health rumors to North Korea's closed information environment, which makes the movements of its leadership difficult to track.
Kim's physical condition is another factor drawing attention. According to a report the National Intelligence Service submitted to the National Assembly on Sept. 30, Kim is about 170 centimeters tall and weighs about 140 kilograms, putting him at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
The NIS said, however, that no clear signs of health problems had been detected. It said Kim was recently observed running up stairs during an inspection of a naval destroyer.
North Korean state media also reported on the 11th of this month that Kim attended a completion ceremony for a museum related to defense development. That appearance predates the emergency the latest rumor describes.
No objective evidence supporting Kim's death has been confirmed to date.