North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holds the third expanded meeting of the Eighth Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 24, 2022. (Photo via KCNA/AFP)
October 19, 2026 9:31 p.m. GMT+03:00
UUnverified claims circulating on social media claim that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in a coma after suffering a brain hemorrhage, prompting analysts to monitor Pyongyang for a public display of mourning or evidence that he is alive and well.
The claims, which have not been confirmed, indicate that Kim was expelled from North Korea to receive emergency treatment due to what netizens describe as poor medical facilities in Pyongyang. It was speculated that he was taken to the Beijing Union Medical College in Beijing.
What do we know about Kim’s recent whereabouts?
Kim was last seen in public on October 11, when he visited a new defense museum at an undisclosed location in Pyongyang. His 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, accompanied him, according to photographs from the visit.
Benedict Rogers, a North Korea analyst, said he expected the government to release evidence of Kim’s well-being in response to the rumors. Speaking to The Sun’s YouTube channel, From The Newsroom, he noted that similar stories had surfaced before.
“He doesn’t look like a healthy man,” Rogers said, adding that the leader is “extremely obese.”
Rogers said that when a North Korean supreme leader died in the past, the state staged an “orchestrated outpouring of public grief,” with crowds screaming in the streets and newsreaders appearing visibly emotional. No such scene has emerged, he said. Either they will, he suggested, or, if Kim is alive, authorities will release evidence.
Rumors about Kim’s health are nothing new. In 2020, a wave of speculation on social media claimed that he had died after disappearing from public view for several months. During this episode, a former diplomat claimed that Kim was in a coma and ready to hand over power to his sister, Kim Yo Jong.
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Estate issues
Experts say Kim Yo Jong, 38, who already wields significant influence in the nuclear-armed government, would take the reins if her brother died. Analysts believe she would serve as interim leader until Kim Ju Ae is old enough to lead.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang was considering deploying additional tactical weapons near the border with South Korea.
South Korean intelligence officials have long claimed that Kim Ju Ae is her father’s heir apparent, although she has not been officially named as his successor.
She made her first public appearance in November 2022 during a missile launch, and she accompanied her father on a state visit to China last year. If she ever takes power, she would be the first woman to lead North Korea in its dynastic history.
A close source told The Sun that as the leader’s daughter she would be expected to play “the blood sport of politics”, which would require removing disloyal aides “by violent means”.
Earlier this month, reports citing South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Kim’s diet of steak and lobster had made him “extremely obese.”
The agency said he weighs more than 310 pounds (140 kilograms) and is 5 feet 7 inches tall, a level that puts him at serious risk for cardiovascular disease. His heavy smoking also raised questions about who would succeed him.
Kim took power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, who ruled from 1994 to 2011. In 2013, Kim had his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executed by firing squad.
October 19, 2026 9:32 p.m. GMT+03:00
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