Kim Jong-un is alive: North Korean spy agency dismisses social media rumours!
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has dismissed rumours circulating on social media that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has died, telling a parliamentary committee on Friday that the claims are false, according to sources familiar with the briefing.
The assessment was shared during a closed-door meeting with ruling and opposition lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, sources who attended the meeting said.
Speculation about Kim’s death spread widely across overseas social media platforms earlier this week, with some posts claiming that he had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage, fallen into a coma and died. However, no evidence has emerged to support these claims, Yonhap News Agency reported.
North Korean state media have not directly responded to the rumours. However, they reported on Tuesday that Kim had visited a garment and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang the previous day. Photographs released by state media showed him touring the exhibition alongside his daughter, Ju-ae.
In a briefing to lawmakers late last month, the NIS said Kim, who weighs more than 140 kilograms, faces a high risk of cardiovascular disease due to severe obesity. However, the agency reported no significant signs of health problems at the time.
The assessment cited Kim’s ability to move around without difficulty, including climbing stairs during an inspection of a destroyer. It also noted that dedicated medical personnel closely monitor his health.
Friday’s briefing also covered the inspection of a fortification construction site along North Korea’s southern border by Kim Yo-jong, a senior official of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and the North Korean leader’s sister. She was accompanied by Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to the country’s defence ministry, according to meeting participants.
North Korea has intensified efforts to strengthen its border with South Korea since April 2024, following Kim’s description of inter-Korean relations as ties between “two states hostile to each other.”
Amid rising tensions over the border fortification work, Kim Yo-jong has threatened to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts directed at South Korea within days. She has also warned of a “horrible and distressing situation.”
The NIS is scheduled to face a parliamentary audit by the committee on Thursday, during which lawmakers are expected to review developments in North Korea and discuss other security-related issues.
