Real or Fake? North Korea Releases New Pictures of Kim Jong-Un After Diplomat Claimed He Was in Coma | Watch

However, whether these photographs are new or old cannot be verified at this point in time.

Days after a South Korean diplomat claimed that leader Kim Jong-Un was in a coma, North Korea has released new pictures of him, chairing a meeting. The state-controlled Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday that the dictator had gathered the politburo to call for prevention efforts against coronavirus, and an impending typhoon.

The meeting assessed “some defects in the state emergency anti-epidemic work for checking the inroads of the malignant virus”, KCNA said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Martyn Williams, a journalist-researcher who specialises in North Korea also released a video of the purported meeting:

As it began broadcasts on Wednesday, North Korean state TV carried video of Kim Jong Un at a party meeting the day before. pic.twitter.com/Dc1r7MC89J

— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) August 26, 2020

However, whether these photographs are new or old cannot be verified at this point in time and many speculated the authenticity of the released images:

Genuine question: could these be old pictures taken in advance for such situations as supreme leader falling into a coma?

— Matt (@thehotwombat) August 25, 2020

The pictures come two days after Chang Song-min, ex-aide to late-South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, claimed that the 36-year-old has slipped into a coma and is preparing to hand over powers to his sister Kim Yo Jong.

“I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended. A complete succession structure has not been formed, so Kim Yo-jong is being brought to the fore as the vacuum cannot be maintained for a prolonged period,” Chang said.

He has also claimed that all photographs of Kim released by North Korea in recent months, in an attempt to quash rumours about Kim’s ill health, were fake.

Notably, the leader has been seen in public only a couple of times since reportedly undergoing heart surgery in April. The mystery and rumours around his death has sparked a meme fest on Twitter.