Is Kim Jong Un Alive? Everything to Know About Death Rumors Surrounding North Korean Dictator
New photos show Kim Jong Un at a Pyongyang exhibition after online claims he had died or fallen into a coma.
Oct. 20 2026, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Kim Jong Un is alive and was shown carrying out an official public activity in North Korea this week, countering unverified social media claims that the country's leader had died after suffering a brain hemorrhage.
North Korean state media released photographs Tuesday, Oct. 20, showing Kim visiting a garment and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang the previous day.
The 42-year-old leader was accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, and wife, Ri Sol Ju. The images show Kim examining clothing and footwear and interacting with officials at the exhibition.
The photographs provide evidence that North Korea was presenting Kim as active on Oct. 19, but they do not amount to an independent medical assessment. Journalists were not given independent access to the event, and the timing and authenticity of state-released material cannot be independently verified.
How The Kim Jong Un Death Rumors Began
The North Korean leader is fit and fine despite rumours of suffering a brain hemorrhage.
The latest rumors spread after U.S.-based Chinese dissident Wanjun Xie claimed on social media that Kim had suffered a severe brain hemorrhage, fallen into a coma, and died following emergency treatment in Beijing.
Xie also alleged that Kim's body had been returned to North Korea and that China had sent 9,000 troops to Pyongyang. The claims were not accompanied by independently verifiable evidence, and South Korean news agency Yonhap described them as unverified.
The speculation also included claims that Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, had taken control of North Korea.
There is no verified evidence that she has assumed power.
What South Korean Intelligence Says About Kim’s Health
KCNA released photos showing him at a Pyongyang exhibition October 19.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers on Sept. 30 that Kim was estimated to weigh about 140 kilograms, or roughly 309 pounds.
The agency said he faces a high risk of cardiovascular disease because of his severe obesity but reported no signs of significant health problems at the time.
Lawmakers also said the NIS had assessed Kim as capable of physical activity without apparent difficulty, including climbing stairs.
That assessment does not rule out an undisclosed medical condition, but it does not support the current claims that he is dead or incapacitated.
The latest rumors echo a widely reported false alarm from 2020. North Korean defector and then-South Korean lawmaker Ji Seong Ho said he was "99 percent" certain Kim had died following cardiovascular surgery.
Kim later appeared publicly, and Ji apologized for the claim.
No Verified Evidence of a Succession Crisis
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Similar false death rumors surfaced in 2020.
Kim Ju Ae's increasingly prominent appearances have fueled speculation about North Korea's future leadership.
South Korean intelligence has previously said she was being groomed as a possible successor, and a more recent NIS assessment indicated that her status as a designated successor was being strengthened.
Still, that does not mean she has assumed power or that a succession process is underway. Likewise, there is no verified evidence that Kim Yo Jong has taken control of the government.
Kim's recent public appearances also extend beyond the latest exhibition. State media reported that he oversaw a strategic missile drill on Oct. 3, and Reuters reported that he attended the opening of a defense museum with Ju Ae and Ri Sol Ju on Oct. 11.
