North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a clothing and shoe expo with his daughter on Monday, state media reported the following day, amid a flurry of unfounded rumors about his death on social media that became tabloid fodder.
The rumors appeared to start spreading on social media site X from Sunday to Monday after at least two popular anti-Chinese Communist Party profiles claimed without evidence that Kim had died or fallen into a coma and been rushed to a hospital in Beijing.
As of late Monday U.S. time, the rumor was mentioned in the list of top trending topics on both X and Bluesky. Various tabloids quickly published claims that Kim was in a coma as fact.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday morning KST that Kim visited the National Garment and Footwear Exhibition-2026 in Pyongyang on Monday. Photos showed him looking around the venue with his wife and daughter.
Kim said the event shows “the development of the light industry sector, which is promoting the improvement of the material and cultural welfare of the people and making rapid progress.”
He particularly noted the contributions of factories built in the last few years under his “20×10” regional development project, which is intended to improve living conditions in what he has called “backward” rural areas.
NK News analysis suggests the latest round of rumors about the North Korean leader’s death spread due to social media sharing phenomena, possibly spurred by bot posts. It was not supported by any reputable sources backing the claims and was exacerbated by websites and tabloids republishing the claims without confirmation.
Previously in 2020, an executive with a prominent Hong Kong media company posted a similar rumor, lending credibility to the claim and resulting in it becoming a major topic in the news. At that time, however, Kim did eventually emerge showing signs of health problems.
