Kathrine Frich
Instead of a hospital bed, Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong.
When a secretive world leader drops out of sight, the rumour mill starts spinning fast.
Wild claims about medical emergencies can dominate social media for days.
Then, without warning, a single choreographed appearance brings the guessing game to a sudden halt.
Crossing the border
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has resurfaced with an unannounced visit to China, the Daily Express reported.
After days of intense chatter regarding his health and whereabouts, he was photographed smiling alongside Chinese officials on Saturday, October 24.
Just before his trip, wild claims had spread online about a medical crisis. Wanjun Xie, who chairs the China Democracy Party, wrote on X:
“It is rumoured that recently, Kim Jong-Un … suffered a severe cerebral haemorrhage and fell into a coma. Although a team of medical experts from Peking Union Medical College Hospital was dispatched to North Korea to assist in his treatment, the poor medical conditions in North Korea forced Kim Jong-Un to be transferred to Peking Union Medical College for emergency treatment.”
Xie also claimed that the leader had “succumbed to his injuries and died … due to the severity of his condition”, while another X account posted:
“His body is currently being secretly transported back to North Korea without public announcement.” South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has previously called the 140kg leader “extremely obese”, the Daily Express noted, which often fuels such rumours.
A long wait
Instead of a hospital bed, Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong with his sister, Kim Yo Jong, and foreign minister Choe Son Hui. According to the Daily Express, his group met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, toured a bus factory, and visited a Korean War memorial.
Although Kim did not meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in person, they exchanged greetings through officials.
State media reported that Kim called their alliance an “invincible” bond “forged at the cost of blood”, adding that North Koreans would “forever remember the glorious years of fighting alongside the Chinese people” and pass down “generational gratitude”.
The visit followed the October 15 opening of the $300 million (£225 million) New Yalu River Bridge, which sat unused for over a decade.
While The Independent noted that Beijing and Pyongyang are drawing closer amid US tensions, Ewha University professor Leif-Eric Easley warned in the Daily Express that Moscow is driving an arms race while China puts trade links ahead of past international deals.
