Kim Jong-un is 'dead' again: Why rumors about North Korean leaders never die

What happened: Unverified social media claims that Kim Jong-un died after a brain hemorrhage spread to overseas outlets. South Korean officials dismissed them as unsubstantiated, and North Korean state media released photos of Kim at a Pyongyang exhibition with his wife and daughter. Key numbers: Rumors began in April 2020 when Kim skipped the Why it matters: The episode repeats a decades-long pattern in which the regime's tight information control lets health speculation spiral into death claims, as in 2020 when two South Korean lawmakers' assertions were debunked by state media photos.

Unverified social media claims that Kim Jong-un died after a brain hemorrhage spread to overseas outlets. South Korean officials dismissed them as unsubstantiated, and North Korean state media released photos of Kim at a Pyongyang exhibition with his wife and daughter.

The episode repeats a decades-long pattern in which the regime's tight information control lets health speculation spiral into death claims, as in 2020 when two South Korean lawmakers' assertions were debunked by state media photos.