Unfounded conspiracy theories circulating online claim that Kim Jong-un has died and been replaced by a body double, prompting South Korea's intelligence agency to dismiss the rumours as false.
US-based Chinese dissident Wanjun Xie began spreading the unverified claim that Kim had died of a brain haemorrhage and that the process to choose a successor had begun. Xie alleged that medics from Peking Union Medical College Hospital had been sent to North Korea to treat Kim before he was transferred to Beijing, where he later died. He also baselessly claimed that the North Korean leader had been replaced by a body double before his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, took over.
Xie did not provide medical records, eyewitness testimony or other independently verifiable evidence to support his account.
Speculation spreads online
Despite the lack of evidence, the conspiracy theory has gained traction online, with speculation that Kim has arranged for someone else to carry out his public duties. A video of the Supreme Leader walking a red carpet flanked by military personnel drew comments suggesting that "a pretty good body double" had been sent in his place.
One person wrote on X: "That's not Kim Jong Un. This one looks happy to play the role, too much handshakes. If that’s a body double … it’s a pretty good one."
South Korea dismisses claims
South Korea's National Intelligence Service dismissed the rumours that Kim had died. The country's spy agency is said to have told lawmakers on Friday that claims circulating on social media about the North Korean leader's death are false.
The assessment was delivered during a private meeting with ruling and opposition lawmakers on South Korea's National Assembly Intelligence Committee, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The Ministry of Unification also said Kim arrived in Dangong, China, on Saturday for a visit.
North Korean state media did not directly address the rumours, but subsequently reported that Kim had visited a garment and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang. Pictures released by state media showed the North Korean leader touring the exhibition with his daughter. South Korean diplomatic and security officials had also said earlier this week that they had heard nothing to support the claims about Kim's death.
