Setting It Level · Viral Post Fact Check ·

N. Korea Dictator Kim Jong-un Reportedly Dead After Botched Heart Surgery" (TMZ)

Screenshot of the viral post we checked, claiming: N. Korea Dictator Kim Jong-un Reportedly Dead After Botched Heart Surgery" (TMZ)
The post as it circulated. Faces of private individuals are blurred.

Our rating

False

How we rate

What We Found

It's an old headline. TMZ published it April 25, 2020, and the story itself said "TMZ has not confirmed that."

Kim reappeared May 1, 2020, at a fertilizer plant opening in Sunchon, per state media. South Korean officials said he hadn't had surgery.

He's still appearing in 2026: North Korean state media (KCNA) reported he toured a garment and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on Oct. 19, 2026, after an Oct. 10 party anniversary show and an Oct. 11 museum opening. (State media photos can't be independently verified, but there are no credible reports of his death.)

Sources

  1. TMZ (Apr. 25, 2020) (opens in new tab)
  2. New York Times (May 1, 2020) (opens in new tab)
  3. AP (opens in new tab)
  4. VOA (opens in new tab)
  5. Yonhap (Oct. 20, 2026) (opens in new tab)
  6. SBS (Oct. 20, 2026) (opens in new tab)
  7. JoongAng Daily (Oct. 11, 2026) (opens in new tab)

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