North Korean state media has released new Kim Jong Un photos showing the leader visiting a clothing exhibition in Pyongyang, as speculation about his health and rumoured death circulated online.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday that Kim had visited an exhibition center for light-industry products on Monday, Oct. 19, inspecting clothing and footwear displays and offering guidance to officials. State media published the Kim Jong Un photos on Tuesday, a day after the exhibition visit. They showed Kim walking around the venue with his daughter Kim Ju Ae and speaking animatedly to officials. He appeared to be in relatively good physical condition. Some outlets reported that his wife, Ri Sol Ju, was also present at the visit. The 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition featured more than 70,700 clothing items and 170,000 pairs of shoes made by factories across the country. According to KCNA, Kim praised the development of North Korea’s clothing and footwear industries during the visit. The exhibition formed part of his regional development policy aimed at boosting production outside major urban centers.
Death rumours the Kim Jong Un photos were meant to counter
The release of the Kim Jong Un photos comes amid unverified online claims that Kim had died after a brain haemorrhage and emergency treatment at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing. The reports further claimed his body had been secretly returned to North Korea and that his sister, Kim Yo Jong, had taken power.
The claims have not been supported by verifiable evidence, such as medical records, eyewitness testimony or independent confirmation. The rumors were traced to a post on X by Xie Wanjun, a U.S.-based Chinese dissident who identifies himself as chairman of the China Democracy Party, an organization banned in China. He has previously circulated false claims, including speculation about the death of Chinese President Xi Jinping or the use of a body double.
On Monday, Xie claimed Kim had collapsed after a sudden brain haemorrhage and later died despite an emergency transfer to a Beijing hospital, because North Korea lacked the medical facilities to treat him. His post spawned further rumors that Kim Yo Jong had taken power and that China had sent troops to Pyongyang. No evidence backed these allegations.
The New York Post, Britain’s The Sun and India’s Economic Times picked up the rumors while noting the lack of confirmation. The Kim Jong Un photos were the regime’s answer to the online rumours.
North Korea watchers urge caution on the Kim Jong Un photos
North Korea watchers have urged caution, noting that no unusual developments have emerged inside the country to substantiate claims that its leader has died.
Benedict Rogers, a North Korea expert, told The Sun that rumours about Kim’s death had surfaced several times before, and that the leader appeared overweight and in poor health.
Rogers pointed out that the deaths of North Korea’s leaders have historically been accompanied by highly orchestrated public mourning. After the deaths of Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and his father, Kim Jong Il, people were shown weeping openly in the streets while state television presenters delivered visibly emotional announcements. Rogers said no comparable scenes had emerged so far. The Kim Jong Un photos give no way to confirm exactly when they were taken, though the absence of any mourning scenes inside the country weighed against the death claims, watchers said. Watchers cautioned against reading too much into the Kim Jong Un photos, given how tightly North Korea controls information about its leader.
South Korean intelligence officials told Yonhap they had heard nothing to support the reports.
What the Kim Jong Un photos show about his health
Rumours about Kim’s health have surfaced repeatedly over the years before fading. Analysts say North Korea’s tightly controlled information environment makes reliable information about the leader’s condition hard to obtain. Even his age, between 42 and 44 depending on sources, has never been officially confirmed.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported on Sept. 30 that Kim was about 170cm tall and weighed around 140kg, making him “extremely obese” with an elevated cardiovascular risk. He is also frequently seen smoking in photographs released by state media.
Both his grandfather and his father died after suffering cardiovascular problems associated with obesity and heavy smoking.
South Korean intelligence has nevertheless assessed that there are no clear signs Kim is suffering from a serious health problem. During a recent inspection of a North Korean naval destroyer, he reportedly ran up a flight of stairs.
The speculation revived succession questions: Kim Ju Ae and Kim Yo Jong were mentioned in online discussions as possible figures in a future leadership transition. No verified announcement indicates an imminent leadership change, and the Kim Jong Un photos themselves neither confirm nor refute the unverified claims.