Rumors of Kim Jong Unʼs death are once again going viral on social media. North Korea responded by showing a photo of him at an exhibition

Unconfirmed reports of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been circulating on social media for the past few days. In response, North Korean state media reported that he visited a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on October 19.

The rumors were spread, among others, by the British tabloid The Sun and the Indian publication Economic Times. They referred to social media posts claiming that Kim Jong Un had suffered a severe brain hemorrhage, fallen into a coma, and then died in a hospital in Beijing.

The original source of this news was probably a post in X by Chinese dissident Xie Wanjun, who lives in the United States. On October 18, he stated that after the hemorrhage, Chinese doctors were first sent to the DPRK, and then Kim Jong Un was secretly transported to Beijing due to problems with medical care in the DPRK. And after his death, his body was returned to North Korea. He did not provide any evidence to support these claims.

According to South Koreaʼs Yonhap news agency, Xie calls himself the head of the China Democratic Party, which is banned by Chinese authorities. He has also previously spread unconfirmed rumors about the death of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the use of his double.

North Korean state media did not comment directly on the rumors, but on October 20, KCNA wrote that Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae had visited a clothing and footwear exhibition the day before, and published relevant photos.

• This is not the first time that Kim Jong Un has been reported to have died. For example, in the spring of 2020, he did not appear in public for 20 days, and the media began to write that he died due to complications after surgery.
• North Korea itself has been preparing Kim Jong Unʼs younger sister Kim Yo Jong to replace him in case of emergencies since the end of 2019. In the end, South Korean intelligence reported that Kim Jong Un may have been absent due to the coronavirus outbreak in the DPRK.
• In August of that year, rumors that Kim Jong Un was in a coma and his sister was ruling the country in his place resumed.

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