North Korea Releases Kim Photos After Death Rumors

North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un visited a garment and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on October 19, releasing photographs of the leader the next day after unverified online claims said he had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in China. The images challenge those claims but do not independently establish when they were taken or Kim’s medical condition. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim toured the exhibition with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Kim Ju Ae. The photographs showed him viewing clothing and footwear. North Korean authorities did not directly address the death rumours, and the reported visit and images have not been independently verified. The allegations originated in social media posts by Wanjun Xie, chairman of the China Democracy Party. Xie claimed Kim had suffered a severe cerebral haemorrhage, fallen into a coma and been taken to a hospital in Beijing, where he died. He further alleged that Kim’s body was secretly returned to North Korea. The posts supplied no independently verifiable evidence for the medical emergency, death or transfer. Xie also made claims about a possible succession crisis, including that China had sent...