South Korean intelligence has responded to rumors about Kim Jong Un's death

South Korea's National Intelligence Service told parliament that rumors circulating on social media about the death of the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) Kim Jong Un are not true.

This was reported by Yonhap, citing participants of a closed briefing for members of the parliamentary intelligence committee.

According to the agency, on October 23, intelligence officials informed lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties that reports spreading on South Korean and foreign social media about the death of the North Korean leader are false.

It is noted that at a previous briefing on September 30, the intelligence service indicated that Kim Jong Un weighs approximately 140 kilograms and is in a high-risk group for cardiovascular diseases, but there are no apparent signs of deteriorating health. In particular, when visiting a destroyer, he climbed stairs without difficulty.

Recently, the British publication The Sun, citing social media, reported on the alleged illness of Kim Jong Un — the source was a post by a "Chinese dissident" living in the United States. According to his claim, the DPRK leader "suffered a brain hemorrhage and died in a Beijing hospital."

The publication also wrote that if the North Korean leader were to die, power could temporarily pass to his sister Kim Yo Jong until his 13-year-old daughter Kim Ju Ae reaches an age that would allow her to lead the country.

Neither South Korean intelligence nor experts believe these rumors, and North Korean media have already published photos of the leader at a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang.