OMM Newsroom
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared in state media after a Chinese dissident claimed, without evidence, that he had died. Photographs published by state newspaper “Rodong Sinmun” show the 42-year-old touring what the paper described as a clothing and footwear exhibition with his daughter, Kim Ju Ae.
The images appeared hours after Wanjun Xie, a Chinese dissident living in the United States who identifies himself as chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party, claimed Kim had been taken to a Beijing hospital in a coma and had died. The BBC reported that Xie has previously circulated unverified claims, including speculation about the death of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Xie alleged that Kim had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage and was transferred to Beijing because North Korea lacked facilities to treat him. He claimed Kim later died and his body was secretly returned to North Korea, with the regime concealing his death.
The photographs show Kim examining displays alongside Kim Ju Ae and his usual entourage of officials. Although it is not known exactly when the images were taken, other factors also cast doubt on the claim.
A sudden deterioration in Kim’s health would probably be accompanied by signs beyond North Korea’s borders, the BBC reported. China could tighten security along its frontier in anticipation of instability or refugee flows, while activity around North Korean diplomatic missions might increase. Defectors in South Korea often receive information through informal networks along the Chinese border. None of these signs has emerged.
South Korean intelligence officials told Yonhap they had heard nothing to support the reports. The latest rumour also recalls previous false alarms: in 2020, a prominent North Korean defector said he was “99% certain” Kim had died after cardiovascular surgery. Kim appeared in public soon afterwards, and the claim unravelled.
Uncertainty over succession
One reason the rumours recur is uncertainty over who would succeed Kim. The country has been ruled by the Kim family for three generations, but what would follow Kim Jong Un is less clear than it was for his predecessors.
Kim Il Sung spent decades preparing his son, Kim Jong Il, to take power. By the time Kim Il Sung died in 1994, the succession plan was firmly established, and Kim Jong Il’s transition was relatively smooth.
Kim Jong Un’s rise was faster and more precarious. After Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke in 2008, his youngest son was rapidly promoted through the ranks. By the time his father died in 2011, he had been publicly identified as the future leader. Kim Jong Un then spent years consolidating power, purging rivals and eliminating perceived threats.
South Korea’s intelligence agency believes Kim may be preparing his daughter as a successor. She has appeared increasingly at high-profile events and military displays, but is thought to be only 13. North Korea has never been led by a woman, and she has not been formally designated as heir. Her age could also leave her vulnerable in a power struggle.
That uncertainty helps explain the attention paid to rumours about Kim’s health. The reports are not entirely implausible: Kim is overweight and a heavy smoker, and South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has repeatedly warned that his lifestyle places him at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart problems and strokes also run in the Kim family.
Regional risks and limited information
A leadership crisis would raise questions for neighbouring countries and the wider international community, including who would control North Korea’s nuclear weapons and whether political instability could follow. A power struggle could prompt hardliners to act aggressively, while unrest could trigger a refugee crisis along the Chinese border. These concerns affect Beijing and Seoul as well as Washington, which maintains around 28,000 troops in South Korea.
Intelligence agencies monitor Kim closely to prepare for developments. But North Korea remains an information black hole: only a small circle has regular access to its leader, and even intelligence agencies struggle to obtain reliable information. Reports are often described with caveats such as “unverified” or “highly likely” rather than as confirmed fact.
The regime is also suspected of deliberately encouraging confusion by leaking misleading information to obscure what is happening inside the country. The BBC said it was difficult to believe Xie had uncovered such significant news when it had eluded those whose job is to monitor North Korea.
Xie may have been seeking attention, or he may have wanted to embarrass Beijing by highlighting its ties to Pyongyang, although those ties are well established. Whatever his motive, he is not the first to exploit uncertainty surrounding North Korea’s leadership.
