Rumors of Kim Jong-un's death spread online as KCNA releases photos of leader at exhibition

British, Indian outlets take note of Chinese dissident's social media posts claiming Kim died in Beijing; KCNA releases photos showing him at a light-industry exhibition Monday

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tours a light-industry clothing and footwear exhibition themed "A Fever for New Product Development and Quality Improvement" with his daughter Kim Ju-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju on Monday, KCNA reported Tuesday. [Yonhap — redistribution prohibited]

Claims that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fell into a coma after suffering a severe cerebral hemorrhage and died — with his sister Kim Yo-jong seizing power — have been spreading across Chinese social media and picked up by foreign outlets.

KCNA pushed back Tuesday, releasing photos showing Kim touring a public event Monday alongside his daughter Kim Ju-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju.

British tabloid The Sun and India's Times of India were among the outlets that reported Monday (local time) that "online rumors claiming Kim was airlifted to Beijing for emergency treatment while in a coma have renewed questions about the future of the secretive North Korean regime," while noting that "there is no verified evidence to support these claims."

The rumors allege that Kim received treatment at a Beijing hospital after losing consciousness from a severe cerebral hemorrhage, that he subsequently died, and that his body was secretly repatriated to North Korea.

The original source of the death rumors has not been confirmed, but most foreign outlets have cited a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Xie Wanjun, chairman of the China Democracy Party.

Xie is a Chinese pro-democracy activist and overseas dissident who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement and has since pushed for a multiparty system and political reform in China. He has faced surveillance, detention and house-arrest-style restrictions from Chinese authorities in the process.

In his Monday post on X, Xie said a team of medical specialists from Peking Union Medical College Hospital had been dispatched to North Korea to treat Kim, but that the poor state of North Korea's medical facilities led to Kim being transferred to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for emergency care. He added that Kim ultimately died because his condition was critical and treatment had been delayed, that his body was secretly returned to North Korea, and that news of his death was suppressed.

In a follow-up post Tuesday, Xie said that while rumors of Kim's death had been circulating online for several days, Kim had yet to appear in public to deny them — which, Xie said, indirectly supported the possibility that the death reports were true.

Xie added that rumors were circulating that power had not passed to Kim's daughter Kim Ju-ae after his death, but that his sister Kim Yo-jong currently held real authority. He said Kim Yo-jong had reportedly moved to broadcast warnings to South Korea via loudspeakers and was reviewing a full-scale buildup of tactical strike capabilities.

"This sudden escalation of threats against South Korea appears intended to tighten control over the North Korean military and consolidate power through a show of external force," Xie said. He added that this indirectly supported rumors that Kim had died and that Kim Yo-jong was now in charge, and suggested those rumors were likely true.

US President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom on June 30, 2019. [Reuters]

The death rumors emerged as speculation quietly mounted that Donald Trump could meet Kim on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, next month.

Asked by reporters at the White House Tuesday whether he expected to meet the North Korean leader in China next month, Trump said, "I don't know."

He then stressed that his relationship with Kim remained warm, saying, "I get along with Chairman Kim very well," and added, "Nobody knows for sure if they want to have a meeting, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is very good."

Trump has repeatedly treated North Korea as a de facto nuclear power, citing specific figures for the country's nuclear weapon stockpile, and has pledged to meet Kim "within the year."

On Oct. 12, when asked about the possibility of meeting Kim on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Trump said "it could happen" and called the prospect of a meeting "exciting."

Meanwhile, KCNA reported Tuesday that Kim toured a light-industry clothing and footwear exhibition themed "A Fever for New Product Development and Quality Improvement" on Monday, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju.

The public appearance was Kim's first in eight days, following his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Second Economic Committee's Defense Revolution Museum on Oct. 11.

The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Korean Workers' Party, reported Oct. 13 that Kim cut the ribbon at the museum's opening and toured the facility with attendees, publishing photos of the visit. His wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae also accompanied him at the ceremony.

jshan@heraldcorp.com