North Korean state media published photos of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un on Monday after viral rumors of his death stormed social media over the weekend.
The newly released images show Kim at a clothing and shoe expo with his daughter. He appeared well and fit, seemingly disputing unverified claims that he had fallen into a coma and died of a brain hemorrhage. According to these rumors, he had been taken to a hospital in Beijing.
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None of the claims, spread by Chinese dissident Wanjun Xie on X, have been confirmed.
At first, Xie claimed Kim died and that China dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang, North Korea, over fears of a succession crisis. Then he alleged that the dictator’s body was secretly transported to North Korea.
In his latest post, Xie said the rumors of Kim’s death are “likely true” because Kim hadn’t made a public appearance before the photos were released.
It is unclear whether the photos of Kim are authentic or when they were taken.
The rumors raised questions about whether Kim’s sister or daughter would succeed him.
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Xie initially claimed that the North Korean supreme leader’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, was handed the regime before saying his sister, Kim Yo Jong, took control. The sister is the director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, while the daughter is viewed as Kim’s likely successor by South Korea’s intelligence agency.
Coincidentally, the rumors of Kim’s death arrived just before the Oct. 23 video game release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, in which North Korea launches a full-scale invasion of South Korea.
