Kim Jong-un Death Rumors Unconfirmed: North Korea Releases New Photos as Seoul Dismisses Brain Hemorrhage Claims

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By Michael Clare | LOL242

BREAKING NEWS

UNCONFIRMED RUMOR · October 21, 2026

October 21, 2026

Claims that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suffered a severe brain hemorrhage, fell into a coma and died in a Beijing hospital have raced across social media and into overseas tabloids this week. As of October 21, 2026, the claims are unconfirmed. No reputable news agency or government has confirmed them, South Korean officials say they have nothing to support them, and North Korean state media has released new photos of Kim at a public event in Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, photographed in Vladivostok, Russia, in April 2019
Kim Jong-un pictured in Vladivostok, Russia, on April 25, 2019. File photo. Photo: Alexei Nikolsky, The Presidential Press and Information Office (kremlin.ru), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Where the rumor started

The claim traces back to posts on X by Wanjun Xie, a US-based Chinese dissident who calls himself chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party, a group banned by Chinese authorities. In a post dated October 18, 2026, Xie wrote that “it is rumored” Kim had suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage and fallen into a coma, was moved to Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, died there, and that “His body has been secretly transported back to North Korea, and the news of his death is being kept under wraps.” That post had been viewed more than 775,000 times by October 21.

According to Yonhap and the BBC, Xie provided no evidence. The Korea Herald reports that he gave no medical records, eyewitness accounts or other evidence that could be checked. It adds that Xie claimed, also without evidence, that China had sent thousands of troops to Pyongyang to help manage a leadership handover to Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae. Xie has previously spread unverified claims about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s health, including that Xi uses a body double.

NK News reported that the rumors began spreading on X from Sunday to Monday (October 18 to 19), after at least two popular anti-Chinese Communist Party accounts made the claim without evidence. The story briefly became a top trending topic. Britain’s The Sun, the New York Post and India’s Economic Times then picked up the claims, Yonhap reported.

Kim Il-sung Square in central Pyongyang, North Korea
Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital. File photo. Photo: Jan Engelhardt, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What North Korea’s state media showed

North Korea did not mention the rumors directly. On October 20, its official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that Kim had visited the National Garment and Footwear Exhibition-2026 in Pyongyang the day before, on October 19. Photos showed him touring the event with his daughter Ju-ae and his wife, Ri Sol-ju. In one image he bends down to look at a pair of pink children’s shoes.

The BBC, the Korea Herald and the Telegraph all point out that no one outside North Korea can independently confirm exactly when the photos were taken. The BBC adds that none of the outside signs you would expect after a sudden health crisis have appeared, such as tighter security on the Chinese border or more activity at North Korean embassies.

On October 21, KCNA reported that Kim had sent a birthday spread to a 100-year-old woman in Haeju City, South Hwanghae Province. That was a state media report, not a public appearance.

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un standing in front of Russian and North Korean flags in Pyongyang, June 2024
Kim Jong-un with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. File photo. Photo: Presidential Executive Office of Russia (kremlin.ru), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

What Seoul says

South Korean diplomatic and security officials told Yonhap they had heard “nothing” to support the claims. A Unification Ministry official, who spoke without being named, called the reports “unverified rumors,” according to the Korea Herald.

The Korea Herald also notes that on September 30, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers Kim showed no clear signs of serious health problems. The NIS said this even though he weighs more than 140 kilograms and is at high risk of heart disease. The agency said Kim had made 121 public appearances so far this year.

North Korean websites go offline

Adding to the online buzz, The Herald Business reported on October 21 that KCNA, Rodong Sinmun and more than 40 other North Korean “.kp” websites had been unreachable or unstable for a second day. The cause has not been confirmed. A South Korean government official said there were “no specific signs of hacking being detected.”

The blue conference huts at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea
The conference huts at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. File photo. Photo: calflier001, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

What we know

  • The death and brain hemorrhage claim came from social media posts, mainly by US-based Chinese dissident Wanjun Xie, who offered no evidence.
  • No reputable news agency or government has confirmed that Kim is dead, in a coma or seriously ill.
  • South Korean security officials say they have nothing to support the claims. A Unification Ministry official calls them “unverified rumors.”
  • On October 20, North Korean state media released photos it says show Kim at a Pyongyang clothing and footwear exhibition on October 19, with his wife and daughter.
  • Kim’s death has been falsely reported before, most famously in April 2020.

What we don’t know

  • Exactly when the new state media photos were taken. Outsiders cannot independently verify them.
  • Kim’s true state of health. North Korea does not publish medical information about its leader.
  • Why North Korea’s state websites have been offline. The cause has not been confirmed.

Not the first time

In April 2020, Kim missed a key annual event and dropped out of sight for nearly three weeks. Reports claimed he was gravely ill or dead after heart surgery. A North Korean defector who had just been elected to South Korea’s parliament said he was “99 percent” sure Kim had died. On May 2, 2020, state media released photos and video of Kim opening a fertilizer factory in Sunchon the day before, and the claim fell apart.

According to the Korea Herald, Kim also vanished from view for about 40 days in 2014 and came back using a walking stick. Unverified claims in May 2025 that he had lost consciousness in Wonsan also proved unfounded. When North Korea’s earlier leaders really did die, Kim Il-sung in 1994 and Kim Jong-il in 2011, Pyongyang kept the news quiet for more than a day each time before state media announced it.

The skyline of Pyongyang, North Korea
The Pyongyang skyline. File photo. Photo: Jan Engelhardt, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Why it matters

North Korea has nuclear weapons, and no successor has been formally named. The BBC reports that South Korean intelligence believes Kim may be grooming his daughter, who is thought to be about 13. Any real change at the top in Pyongyang would affect the whole world, so rumors like this spread fast. From here in The Bahamas, that is a good reason to wait for confirmed facts before sharing a viral post. lol242 will update this story if anything changes.

Sources

Photos: Wikimedia Commons. Credits and licenses appear in each caption.

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