North Korea releases Kim Jong Un photos after unverified death rumors

North Korean state media published photographs Monday showing Kim Jong Un touring a garment and footwear exhibition, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The images show Kim examining children's shoes, gesturing toward officials and inspecting women's coats. The photos have not been independently verified, and it is unclear when they were taken. They surfaced hours after online claims that the 42-year-old leader had died.

The New York Post reported that Wanjun Xie, a US-based Chinese dissident linked to the China Democracy Party, posted the allegations on X on Sunday. Xie initially claimed Kim had died and that China sent 9,000 troops to Pyongyang amid fears of a succession crisis. He later alleged that specialists from Peking Union Medical College Hospital were dispatched to North Korea on Saturday to treat a severe cerebral hemorrhage, and that Kim fell into a coma before being moved to Beijing, where he died. Xie claimed Kim's body was secretly returned to North Korea. None of the claims were supported by medical records, photographs, identifiable witnesses or other verifiable evidence.

The rumors gained traction on social media and were picked up by several international outlets, including The Sun, which described the story as unverified speculation. They also raised questions about whether Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, had taken control of the regime. The new photographs appear intended to dispel speculation about Kim's fate, though Pyongyang has not explicitly addressed the death reports.

Kim's health has long been a subject of international scrutiny. On Sept. 30, South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that Kim weighed about 140 kilograms (309 pounds) and faced an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease due to severe obesity, though the spy agency said it had detected no significant signs of ill health, reportedly citing Kim's ability to run up stairs during an inspection of a naval destroyer. North Korean state media previously reported that Kim attended the inauguration of the National Defense Revolution Museum on Oct. 11, with an account published two days later. That appearance preceded the alleged medical emergency and could not refute claims that his condition had suddenly deteriorated.

The latest death scare echoes a 2020 false alarm, when Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector who became a South Korean lawmaker, claimed he was 99% certain Kim had died after cardiovascular surgery. Kim later appeared in public, and Ji apologized for spreading the erroneous claim. That old prediction resurfaced during the recent frenzy, with some online accounts presenting it as fresh evidence. The Post said it sought comment from the governments of North Korea and China as well as from Peking Union Medical College Hospital.