KIM THE GRAVE?
‘Fake’ pic claiming to show Kim Jong-un dead in a glass coffin goes viral as North Korea scramble to prove he is alive
A FAKE picture claiming to show Kim Jong-un dead in a glass coffin has gone viral amid ongoing rumours about the North Korean leader.
The image - thought to be a doctored photo from his father's 2011 funeral - appears to show Kim lying beneath a red blanket with his head on a pillow.
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The US and China are seeking to find the truth on claims the despot is either dead or gravely ill in a vegetative state following botched heart surgery.
North Korea scrambled to show he is alive today by releasing a letter said to be written by Kim on the construction of a holiday resort - and claiming he sent a message to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.
But the absence of any new images of Kim only fuelled the frenzy of speculation.
However the picture being shared online today of him in a glass coffin are believed to be manipulated.
The image - credited to Japanese news network JNN - closely matches a picture from his dad Kim Jong-il's funeral after he died from a heart attack in 2011.
It has the same low angle, ceremonial pillow and flower arrangements behind his head - suggesting the younger Kim's face and shoulders have been superimposed.
Over the past week there have been conflicting reports surrounding the portly dictator's health and whereabouts:
- Initial reports from South Korea claimed Kim was in a vegetative state after suffering a heart attack
- However a North Korean defector claims the tyrant was in fact injured during a missile test
- South Korea later insisted he is in fact 'alive and well'
- In the West a top US Senator claimed Kim was ‘likely dead or incapacitated’
- But President Trump dismissed dismissed the report calling it 'fake news'
- Rumours previously ran wild when Kim disappeared for a month in 2014 - reportedly having suffered a bout of gout
Many posts claim the picture was shown live on Hong Kong network HKSTV - whose vice president sparked claims Kim was dead at the weekend - and the image was shared thousands of times online amid the storm of rumours.
But a similar apparently photoshopped image of Kim in the coffin was first shared on Twitter in October 2017.
Kim is reported to be undergoing treatment at a hospital which is reserved for exclusive use by his family and is constantly on standby, reports Daily NK.
The Hyang San hospital was built in 1994 after the death of Kim Il-sung, purposefully set up away from Pyongyang to avoid surveillance.
Doctors there reportedly receive specialist training abroad, and medical equipment is imported from Germany and Japan.
Kim's personal physician is reportedly an expert in heart diseases and moves with his own security team.
Both Kim's dad and granddad died of heart attacks.
The North Korea's leader is known to have poor health, reportedly being a heavy binge-eater, smoker and drinker.
Daily NK reported earlier that Kim underwent heart surgery on April 12 after last being seen in state media reports on April 11.
He was then suspiciously absent from the national birthday celebrations of his late granddad Kim Il-sung, known as the Day of the Sun.
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Chinese journalist Shijian Xingzou said a “very solid source” told her the North Korean leader had died.
She has 15 million followers on Chinese social media site Weibo, and she is also the niece of one of the the country's foreign ministers.
Separately, a Japanese media outlet claimed Kim was in a “vegetative state” after undergoing heart surgery.
South Korean president Moon Jae-in's foreign policy advisor Chung-in Moon has said they believe Kim has been staying in Wonsan since April 13 - with "no suspicious movements".
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Pictures released by North Korea watchers 38North show what is believed to be Kim's private armoured train parked near the resort.
North Korean defectors have also dismissed the ongoing rumours of Kim's death.
Joo Sung-ha, a defector turned journalist, said in a Facebook post reported by the it was reasonable to believe Kim had health problems.
However, he wrote he had zero trust in any of the reports as information about Kim's health is such a closely guarded secret.
It is speculated his sister Kim Yo-jong could be next in line after him if he was to be dead.
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Donald Trump wishes Kim Jong-un well after North Korean leader ‘in grave danger’ following surgery
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