Is North Korean Leder Kim Jong-un Dead?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a political assembly meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in North Korea, in this photo released on August 14, 2020 by North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. KCNA via REUTERS

Business Insider: Rumors about Kim Jong Un dying are going viral again, but experts say not to believe them

* Rumors are once again spreading that Kim Jong Un is dying, but experts say they're unfounded.
* The rumor began on Friday after a former South Korean minister said he had on good authority that the North Korean leader was in a coma.
* Since then, the claim has been carried by several notable English-language news outlets, and is trending on Twitter.
* However, multiple experts have poured cold water on the issue, noting that Kim has been conducting his official duties as normal and highlighting the sketchy nature of the original source.

A wild rumor that North Korean despot Kim Jong Un is dying is once again spreading across social media but experts are saying not to believe them.

On Friday, Jang Sung-min, a former South Korean minister, said that an unnamed source in China had told him that Kim was "in a coma" but "his life has not ended," according to the Korea Herald, a South Korean news outlet.

Speculation has abounded in the wake of the report, and social media has become abuzz with the rumor that Kim is dead or close to it. The Mirror and the New York Post both reported on the rumor that Kim was in a coma.

Read more ....

Update #1: North Korea's Kim Jong-un in a coma, diplomat says, claiming recent appearances 'faked' (National Post)
Update #2: North Korea U.S. policy on hold amid Kim Jong Un 'coma' rumors (UPI)

WNU Editor: If Kim Jong-un was dead we would have known about it within hours. You just cannot keep a secret like that for any length of time, even in a place like North Korea.