Rumor of Kim Jong Un's death; Seoul says no sign he is ill

A rumor that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has died has been circulating on social media since 18 October 2026, but as of the evening of Monday, 19 October, no official or independent source has confirmed it. South Korean intelligence and defense officials have called the claims "completely unconfirmed", and the country's National Intelligence Service has said it has seen no sign of any health problem in the North Korean leader.

Where the claims came from

The wave of rumors began with posts on X by Wan Jun Xie, a Chinese anti-government activist. Without offering any evidence, he claimed that Kim Jong Un had suffered a severe brain hemorrhage, fallen into a coma, been taken to Beijing for treatment and died there.

Xie also claimed that China had sent 9,000 troops to Pyongyang to support the succession of Kim Ju Ae, the North Korean leader's daughter; in later posts, however, he said power had passed to Kim Yo Jong, his sister. These contradictory accounts have no verifiable backing.

Last public appearance

According to the Yonhap news agency, citing North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un attended the opening of the National Defense Revolution Museum in Pyongyang on 11 October with his wife and daughter. Before that, he had also been seen at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.

North Korean state media have published nothing about his health; on 19 October they published statements by Kim Yo Jong about border tensions with South Korea, which made no mention of the leader's condition. China has so far not responded to the claims.

A history of rumors

This is not the first time a rumor of Kim Jong Un's death has spread. In spring 2020, his absence of several weeks set off a wave of speculation about his death, but he reappeared in public after a few weeks. The absence of an official denial in a closed system such as North Korea's is not, by itself, a sign that such claims are true.

Why it matters for Iran

North Korea is one of the Islamic Republic's closest military partners, and the two governments have cooperated on missiles for decades; US courts have also addressed this cooperation in their recent rulings against both governments. Any instability at the top of power in Pyongyang could affect this cooperation and the axis of authoritarian governments aligned with Tehran. DIAR is following developments in this story.