North Korean media showed Kim Jong Un at a Pyongyang exhibition. Online claims that he died are unverified.
North Korean state media on Tuesday published photographs showing leader Kim Jong Un at an exhibition in Pyongyang. The images appeared after unverified social media claims over the weekend that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage, fallen into a coma or died.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim visited the 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition on Monday, Oct. 19, accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Kim Ju Ae. It said he praised the development of the country’s clothing and footwear industries. The appearance is the most recent reported public outing by Kim. His previous reported appearances included a visit to the National Defense Development Museum on Oct. 11, and a performance marking the 81st anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea around Oct. 10, according to state media.
The rumors began on X and other platforms. Geo News reported Monday that neither North Korea nor China had acknowledged any such emergency and that no hospital records or independent evidence had emerged to support the claims. Some posts also speculated that his sister, Kim Yo Jong, or his daughter could succeed him. The Indian outlet Economic Times reported that other circulating claims said Kim Yo Jong had taken power and that thousands of Chinese troops had been sent to North Korea. No evidence supporting those claims has been reported. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, which outlined Kim’s cardiovascular risk factors in a parliamentary briefing on Sept. 30, has not reported any sign of a health emergency.
State media also carried a statement from Kim Yo Jong on Monday saying North Korea was considering additional tactical weapons near the border with South Korea and a resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts, Reuters reported. The statement did not mention Kim’s health.
The photographs do not independently confirm Kim’s condition. They were released by the state, and outside journalists cannot verify when or where the images were taken. Rumors about Kim’s health have emerged repeatedly when he has been out of public view, including in 2020, when he later reappeared.
Information for this report was provided by the Korean Central News Agency via Yonhap and The Nation/Asia News Network, Reuters, Geo News and the Economic Times.