North Korea has released a new batch of apparent “proof of life” photos showing Kim Jong Un inspecting women’s shoes and clothing, after wild rumors circulated on social media claiming the dictator had died from a brain hemorrhage. The images, released by North Korean state media on Monday, show an apparently animated Kim examining children’s footwear, gesturing toward officials and inspecting women’s coats at a clothing and footwear exhibition. The photos emerged just hours after sensational claims circulated online that the 42-year-old leader had suffered a massive brain haemorrhage, fallen into a coma and died after being rushed to Beijing for emergency treatment. In this photo released Monday by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae, views the site of a clothing and footwear exhibition. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim visited the exhibition on Monday, although the photographs have not been independently authenticated and it is not clear exactly when they were taken. In one image, Kim leans forward to inspect a small pink shoe held by a young woman wearing a pale pink wrap dress. Another shows the North Korean strongman standing with his legs apart, arms outstretched and mouth open as he appears to speak emphatically with an official. A third captures Kim reaching for the sleeve of a rust-colored women’s coat displayed on a mannequin, while several assistants follow him. The apparent public appearance comes after Wanjun Xie, a US-based Chinese dissident associated with the Chinese Democracy Party, posted a series of explosive accusations on X on Sunday. Kim Jong Un was photographed inspecting merchandise at a North Korean exhibition following unsubstantiated reports that he had fallen into a coma and died after being transferred to Beijing. The Korean Central News Agency’s Xie initially claimed that Kim had died and that China had sent 9,000 troops to Pyongyang amid fears of a succession crisis. He later alleged that a team of specialists from Beijing’s Peking Union Medical College Hospital had been sent to North Korea on Saturday to treat Kim following a serious brain hemorrhage. According to Xie’s unsubstantiated account, the North Korean leader fell into a coma before being transferred to Beijing, where doctors were unable to save him. His body was then secretly returned to North Korea, Xie claimed. NEW: On Monday, Kim Jong Un “toured the venue of the light industry field clothing and footwear exhibition,” DPRK state media said. The photo shoot came after rumors emerged on social media suggesting he had died yesterday. identifiable witnesses or other independently verifiable evidence. However, the claims gained traction on social media and were picked up by several international outlets, including The Sun, which characterized the story as unverified speculation. The rumors also raised questions about whether Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, had taken control of the secret regime. Kim Jong Un gestures as he addresses officials at a clothing and footwear exhibition in photos published by North Korean state media. Korean Central News Agency The latest photographs, however, appear intended to dispel speculation about the North Korean leader’s fate, although Pyongyang has not explicitly addressed the death reports. Kim’s health has long been the subject of international scrutiny. On Sept. 30, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that Kim weighed approximately 140 kilograms (about 309 pounds) and faced an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease due to his severe obesity. However, the spy agency said it had detected no significant signs of ill health, reportedly citing Kim’s ability to run up stairs during an inspection of a naval destroyer. North Korean state media previously reported that Kim attended the opening of the National Defense Revolution Museum on October 11, and an account of the ceremony was published two days later. That appearance preceded the alleged medical emergency and he was therefore unable to refute claims that his condition had suddenly deteriorated. Rumors are circulating that Kim Jong-un has died, thwarting Kim Ju-ae’s succession plans and potentially plunging North Korea into civil war. The Chinese Communist Party has reportedly sent 9,000 troops to Pyongyang to help Kim Ju-ae stabilize his regime. In preparation…— Wanjun Xie (@xie_wanjun) October 18, 2026 It is said that on October 17, Peking Union Medical College Hospital sent a team of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular medical experts to North Korea to participate in the rescue of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who was in critical condition.— Wanjun Xie (@xie_wanjun) October 18, 2026 It is rumored that recently, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Party of the Korean Workers and Supreme Leader of North Korea, suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and fell into a coma. Although a team of medical experts from Peking Union Medical College Hospital was sent to… — Wanjun Xie (@xie_wanjun) October 18, 2026 The latest death scare also echoes a notorious false alarm in 2020, when Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector who became a South Korean lawmaker, claimed he was 99% sure that Kim had died after cardiovascular surgery. Kim later appeared in public and Ji apologized for spreading the erroneous claim. That six-year-old prediction resurfaced during the latest frenzy, with some online accounts presenting it as new evidence that the North Korean leader was dead. The Post has sought comment from the governments of North Korea and China, as well as Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
