North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released photos Oct. 20 that it said showed leader Kim Jong Un at a Pyongyang exhibition the previous day, amid an unsupported claim that he had died.
Yonhap identified Kim’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter, Kim Ju Ae, in the images. KCNA’s account of the National Garment and Footwear Exhibition-2026 did not address the health allegation.
Yonhap reported that Wanjun Xie, a Chinese dissident based in the United States, alleged on X that Kim had died after a brain hemorrhage and treatment in Beijing. Xie presented no evidence. South Korean diplomatic and security officials had received no information corroborating the allegation, Yonhap reported.
KCNA said the exhibition displayed more than 70,700 garments and more than 170,000 pairs of shoes supplied by more than 270 production units. The display included goods from regional factories, which KCNA linked to the Workers’ Party’s stated goal of reducing regional disparities.
