North Korea shares images of Kim Jong Un following rumors he suffered 'brain hemorrhage'

The rumor mill has gone into overdrive about the current condition of Kim Jong Un, with claims that North Korea's supreme leader has suffered a 'cerebral haemorrhage’ and later succumbed to his injuries. Amid claims that North Korea is covering Kim Jong Un's death, a series of 'proof-of-life' images appear to show him alive and well, browsing children's garments with his daughter, Kim Ju-ae.

North Korea's official newspaper is called Rodong Sinmun, sharing the apparent proof-of-life photos hours after anti-Chinese Communist Party leaders claimed Kim Jong Un had fallen into a coma and died. On October 18, US-based Wanjun Xie took to X to claim the supreme leader had passed away.

The chairman of China Democracy Party (CDP) said: "It is rumored that recently, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Supreme Leader of North Korea, suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma."

Xie suggested that Kim Jong Un was taken out of North Korea due to insufficient medical facilities in Pyongyang. It's claimed that doctors from Beijing's Peking Union Medical College Hospital were unable to save him, adding that Beijing supposedly sent 9,000 of its own troops to Pyongyang over fears of a succession crisis.

He added: "In preparation for a potential civil war in North Korea, the Northern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army has entered a state of high alert (Level III), and all troops within the theatre command have been ordered to…

“Leave, family visits, and demobilisation/retirement are suspended; personnel who have left the area are recalled; and strict control over personnel entry and exit is enforced!”

Although Wie maintains that the supreme leader's body has secretly been sent back to North Korea, it's important to note that none of this comes with proof, eyewitness accounts, or any other independently verifiable evidence.

Still, there's been further speculation that something is amiss after the English-language Pyongyang Times mysteriously went down, sparking whispers that a major announcement was on the way.

At the time of writing, the state-controlled site is still down.

Then again, we're reminded that a previous false alarm came in 2020 when a North Korean defector called Ji Seong-ho claimed he was 99% certain Kim Jong Un had passed away following cardiovascular surgery. When he later appeared in public, Seong-ho was forced to apologize.

Kim Jong Un was last seen in public on October 11, touring a defense museum somewhere in Pyongyang.

North Korea analyst Benedict Rogers told The Sun that North Korea's proof-of-life photos were expected as a way to try and dispel rumors: "There have been rumours before of his death. He doesn’t look a well man, he’s extremely overweight."

Saying that the previous passing of a supreme leader has typically led to "an orchestrated outpouring of public grief," with people wailing in the streets and newsreaders sounding emotional.

We haven't seen that yet, as Rogers concluded: "Either that will happen – or if he’s still alive, they’ll release some evidence that he is still alive.”

If Kim Jong Un has perished, it's thought that Kim Yo-jong would take control, with her being described as even more ruthless than her older brother. As well as concerns about how she's been gaining power over the years, she was supposedly influenced by their father's most hardcore advisors.

Even then, it’s believed that she would only serve as an interim supreme leader until 13-year-old Kim Ju-ae is old enough to rule. For now, we're left questioning whether Kim Jong Un's proof-of-life photos are enough proof.