Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dead, or is this just another wave of baseless rumors?
The regime in Pyongyang released new photographs Tuesday of the 42-year-old leader, apparently in an attempt to refute reports that have spread in recent days claiming he died following a brain hemorrhage.
In the photographs, which the state news agency claims were taken yesterday, Kim is seen accompanied by his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, during a visit to a clothing and footwear showroom in the North Korean capital.
In one photograph, the leader is seen examining a pink shoe, while in others he looks at rolls of fabric and inspects a women's coat displayed on a mannequin.
The wave of rumors began following claims circulated by Xie Wanjun, a Chinese dissident living in the United States who heads a political movement outlawed in China.
According to Xie, Kim suffered a severe brain hemorrhage, lost consciousness, and was rushed to a hospital in Beijing for medical treatment, where he died. Xie further claimed that Kim's body was secretly returned to North Korea and that the regime was concealing his death.
Diplomatic officials and intelligence personnel in South Korea said they had received no information supporting reports of Kim's death.
The same Chinese dissident has previously spread unsubstantiated rumors about the health of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The current rumors come amid assessments by South Korean intelligence officials that Kim suffers from significant obesity, increasing his risk of cardiovascular disease.
This is not the first time rumors of Kim Jong Un's death have circulated. In 2020, after he disappeared from public view for approximately three weeks and even missed an important state ceremony commemorating his grandfather, reports emerged claiming that he was seriously ill, with some even alleging that he had died. He subsequently reappeared in public.