Kim Jong Un Death Rumours: North Korea Releases New Photos

North Korea has released photographs showing leader Kim Jong Un visiting a garment and footwear exhibition, following unverified online claims that he had died. The images, published by state media on Monday, show Kim inspecting shoes and women’s clothing and interacting with officials.

The images have garnered attention since tales of Kim’s purported death have spread on social media without independent verification. However, the photographs do not indicate when they were taken and have not been independently authenticated.

Kim toured the exhibition on Monday, according to the North Korean Central News Agency. The authorities have not directly acknowledged the death rumours.

Kim Jong Un Death Rumours Follow Exhibition Visit

The images show Kim gazing at several things on display at the event. In one photograph, he bends forward to inspect a little pink shoe carried by a woman. Another image shows him waving at an official, while a third shows him grabbing for the sleeve of a woman’s clothing displayed on a mannequin.

The images appeared after Wanjun Xie, a US-based Chinese dissident associated with the China Democracy Party, circulated claims about Kim’s health on X. He alleged that the North Korean leader had suffered a severe cerebral haemorrhage, fallen into a coma and died after being taken to Beijing for emergency treatment.

Xie further alleged that medical professionals from Peking Union Medical College Hospital flew to North Korea to treat Kim. In separate articles, he claimed that China had dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang due to fears over a potential succession problem.

The New York Post claimed that these assertions were not substantiated by medical records, identified witnesses, or any independently verifiable information. Nonetheless, the allegations circulated on social media, prompting concern about North Korea’s leadership.

The stories also raised the possibility of Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, or his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, assuming control. However, the assertions of a shift in leadership have yet to be substantiated.

Kim Jong Un Death Rumours Raise Succession Questions

Kim’s health has received widespread attention in the past. According to the New York Post, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service informed lawmakers on September 30 that Kim weighed approximately 140 kilograms, or 309 pounds, and was at a higher risk of cardiovascular illness due to severe obesity.

The intelligence service apparently found no notable signs of illness, citing Kim’s ability to run up stairs during an inspection of a naval destroyer.

The most recent conjecture also recalls a false alarm in 2020. Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector who eventually became a South Korean senator, stated at the time that Kim was 99% certain to have died as a result of cardiovascular surgery. Kim then emerged in public, and Ji apologised for making the wrong statement.

According to current sources, Kim has not died, nor has the leadership of North Korea changed. The recently published images show him at an exhibition, although the time has not been officially confirmed.

For the time being, there is no confirmation of Kim’s supposed death, emergency treatment in Beijing, or a prospective succession. The North Korean officials have not replied specifically to the rumours.