"Kim Jong Un Dies of Brain Hemorrhage, Body Secretly Transferred": Death Rumors Rock World... North Korea's Photos Tell a Different Story

Rumors of Kim Jong Un's death and Kim Yo Jong taking power spread
"Started on social media by a Chinese dissident"
North Korean media release photos of Kim's inspection for the first time in eight days

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency released photos on the 20th of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting an exhibition hall for clothing and footwear in the light industry sector on the 19th, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju. Yonhap News Agency.

Rumors of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's death have become a hot topic after spreading around the world through foreign media and social networking services (SNS). The rumors are said to have continued to spread after a Chinese dissident first raised the suspicion. North Korean authorities have sought to demonstrate that Kim is alive and well by releasing photos of him inspecting facilities.

On the 19th local time, foreign media outlets, including the UK's The Sun and India's Times of India, reported the rumors of Kim's death. They said, "Online rumors that Kim fell into a coma and was transferred to Beijing, China, for emergency treatment are spreading rapidly, raising questions about the future of the North Korean regime," but added, "No evidence to support these claims has been verified."

The person said to have first raised the rumors was Xie Wanjun, a Chinese dissident and chairman of the Chinese Democracy Party. He participated in the pro-democracy movement during China's 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, was detained under surveillance by the authorities, and later defected to the United States in 1999. The previous day, he claimed on his X account, formerly known as Twitter, that "Kim suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma. He was transferred to Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing for emergency treatment, but ultimately died." He also claimed that "his body was secretly transferred to North Korea and news of his death was concealed."

He added, "Rumors are circulating that, following Kim's death, power was not transferred to his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, and that his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, currently holds the reins of power." He also said, "Kim Yo Jong reportedly stated that, as soon as she took power, she would issue warning broadcasts to South Korea through loudspeakers and was considering a comprehensive expansion of tactical strike capabilities."

The rumors gained further traction after U.S. President Donald Trump said that day that he did not know whether a meeting with Kim in November would take place. Asked at a press conference at the White House that day about the possibility of meeting Kim in China next month, Trump said, "I don't know," adding, "I'm not sure he even wants a meeting, but my relationship with him is very good."

Meanwhile, North Korean authorities have sought to demonstrate that Kim is alive and well by releasing photos of him inspecting facilities. The Korean Central News Agency reported that day that Kim had visited an exhibition of clothing and footwear in the light industry sector with his family the previous day. The photos were released eight days after it was reported that he had attended the opening ceremony of the Second Economic Commission's Defense Revolution Museum on the 11th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.