Reports claiming that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has died from a brain hemorrhage have circulated on social media, but state media has reported his recent public activity.
According to Yonhap News Agency, outlets such as the UK’s The Sun, the US’s New York Post, and India’s Economic Times reported that Kim collapsed due to a sudden brain hemorrhage and was urgently transported to a hospital in Beijing, where he allegedly died.
These reports cite a post on X by She Wanjun, a Chinese dissident known in the US, as the source of the rumors.
She claimed that Kim lost consciousness due to a brain hemorrhage and was moved to a hospital in Beijing due to North Korea's poor medical conditions, but rumors of his death have since spread.
Some posts have suggested that Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, has taken control of the regime following his death, or that the Chinese Communist Party has dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang to support his daughter, Ju Ae, in a power succession. However, no evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims.
She Wanjun identifies himself as the chairman of the China Democracy Party, which is classified as an illegal organization in China. Unverified claims regarding the death of Chinese President Xi Jinping and other rumors have also appeared on social media.
In contrast, North Korean state media reported on Kim's public activities. The Korean Central News Agency and Korean Central Television stated that Kim visited the 'National Clothing and Footwear Exhibition-2026' held in Pyongyang the previous day.
Photos released by state media show Kim visiting the exhibition with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Ju Ae, inspecting women's outerwear and children's shoes.
Officials from South Korea's foreign and security ministries reacted to the rumors of Kim's death circulating on social media, describing them as 'unfounded' and 'absurd.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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