North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made a public appearance at a clothing and footwear expo in Pyongyang, state media reported, in an apparent attempt to quash the latest round of online rumours that he had died. Photos published on Tuesday show the 42-year-old inspecting a pale pink sneaker held by his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, 13, after days of speculation driven by posts on X.
Rumours of Kim's death began circulating over the weekend from an account run by Wanjun Xie, a US-based Chinese dissident who describes himself as chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party, a group banned in China. Xie posted on October 19 that Kim had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in a Beijing hospital, and that his body had been secretly returned to North Korea. He later claimed Beijing had dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang to help Kim's daughter stabilise the region, and speculated that Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, had assumed control and fired warning shots at South Korea, which he said indirectly confirmed his claims. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that diplomatic and security officials had heard "nothing" to support the allegations. Kim's appearance at the expo did not settle the matter for Xie, who suggested the man in the photographs was a body double.
The North Korean leader has been reported dead at least three or four times since taking power in 2011. In 2020, a lengthy absence and his failure to appear at the birthday of state founder Kim Il-sung prompted Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector who became a South Korean politician, to say he was "99 per cent" sure Kim had died during heart surgery. Ji apologised days later after Kim resurfaced at a fertiliser factory ribbon-cutting ceremony. The latest claims were amplified by some Western tabloids including the UK's The Sun, even as the same account that spread them also alleged that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had been the target of an assassination attempt and that his chief of staff was under house arrest.
Kim's health remains a constant source of speculation among analysts in the US and South Korea, who monitor his media appearances and weight for clues about regime stability. His father and grandfather both died of heart attacks, and he is known to smoke. North Korea's state media, which published the latest photos, is a propaganda machine whose reports are difficult to independently verify given the country's extreme secrecy. The succession question also remains unresolved: North Korea has never had a female leader, but some analysts believe Kim is grooming Ju-ae for a leadership role, while his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who already holds a powerful position as his spokesperson, could be a frontrunner.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The episode underscores how opaque the outside world's view of North Korea really is, and how much rests on unverifiable state media images.
- It keeps the question of succession alive: Kim's daughter appeared beside him, a gesture analysts are watching closely.
- It shows how social media disinformation can cross into mainstream coverage when there is no reliable information to counter it.
Background
North Korea is a hereditary dictatorship in which the ruling Kim family has held power since the state's founding. State media functions as the regime's propaganda arm, and independent reporting from inside the country is effectively impossible because of its isolation and controls on information. Kim Jong-un has led the country since 2011, following his father and grandfather, both of whom died of heart attacks. Because his own health is never officially discussed, analysts have learned to look for signals in his appearances, his weight and his absences.
Key Perspectives
North Korean state media: The released photographs present a functioning leader at a routine trade event, with his daughter by his side, a framing that also feeds into speculation that she is being positioned for a future role.
Wanjun Xie and the rumour mill: The source of the latest claims is an opposition figure in exile with a history of conspiracy posts, and he has offered no evidence. He has continued to insist the photographed Kim was a body double.
South Korean officials and analysts: Officials reported hearing nothing to substantiate the claims, and analysts note that neither side of the information war produces reliably verifiable facts, meaning the rumours cannot be proved or disproved from outside.
What to Watch
- Whether Kim appears in state media again soon, as the only check on online death claims.
- Whether Kim Ju-ae continues to appear beside her father, a likely gauge of succession planning.
- Whether Beijing or Pyongyang issue any official denial, which would signal the rumours have outgrown the internet.