North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared at a major garment and footwear industry exhibition accompanied by his wife and daughter, in what was seen as a practical refutation of widespread rumors in British and Western media that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage and died in a Chinese hospital.
Kim’s appearance came after The Sun newspaper and several British media outlets reported in recent days, citing the unverified claims of a Chinese activist, that the North Korean leader’s health was in extremely poor condition and that he had been urgently transferred to the Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing because the necessary medical capabilities were unavailable in his own country. The rumors had even reached the point of claiming that he had fallen into a coma, died, and that his body had been secretly returned, alongside claims that Beijing had allegedly sent nearly 9,000 troops to Pyongyang to ensure that power would be transferred to his daughter, “Kim Ju Ae,” without the outbreak of a civil war.
However, North Korea’s official news agency, by publishing footage and photographs of Kim Jong Un’s visit today, Tuesday, disproved all those rumors. In them, he appeared in good health and, accompanied by his wife, “Ri Sol Ju,” and his daughter, moved successfully among the exhibition’s products. More than 70,700 garments in 30 different types, along with more than 170,000 pairs of shoes in 60 varied models, were displayed at the exhibition. They were products of the country’s domestic factories.
In remarks, the North Korean leader expressed his satisfaction with the rapid progress of the goods and emphasized that these achievements were clear evidence of the soundness and vitality of the ruling party’s policies to eliminate disparities between cities and outlying areas. This comes within the framework of a strategy Kim announced in 2024 to build a new factory in 20 towns each year for a period of 10 years, with the aim of advancing the infrastructure for citizens’ self-sufficiency throughout the country.
