UN-BELIEVABLE
Video claiming Kim Jong-un dropped dead on official visit and his sister would succeed him spreads in North Korea
VIDEO claiming Kim Jong-un dropped dead during an inspection is spreading inside North Korea as the mystery deepens over his disappearance.
North Korean police have set up a task force to try and identify how the clip made it into their tightly controlled borders.
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Rumours continue to swirl about the whereabouts and health of Kim, with reports he is either dead or gravely ill emerging over the last week.
Footage mocked up to look like a news report broadcast by Korean Central Television - North Korea's state owned broadcaster - is believed to have entered the secretive state from China.
The five-minute video claims Kim dropped dead during an inspection on April 25.
It claims that his sister Kim Yo-jong will succeed him as supreme leader.
Clips are used from Kim Jong-il's funeral and it includes screenshots of non-existent news articles about Kim's death, reports .
Despite the video seemingly being a fake, it is reportedly spreading like wildfire in North Korea.
Police fear it will cause "social issues" in the state, which keeps a ruthless iron grip on what information is fed to citizens.
It comes after reports of panic-buying in Pyongyang amid ongoing rumours over Kim's death after reportedly undergoing a heart operation on April 12.
And there are fresh reports of defectors streaming over the border into China.
North Korean authorities have stepped up border patrols and promised they will be harsh punishments for anyone who tires to leave the hermit kingdom.
One source said: "This video bewildered both ordinary citizens as well as party members and other officials when they first saw it.
"After it was flagged as a serious issue, however, nobody has been able to openly discuss the video."
They added North Korea police have set up a task force to identify the leak, including monitoring all people who have made international calls or sent text messages.
The source said: "With the investigation intensifying, anyone who’s been making calls to China for business reasons has been lying low."
Kim has not been seen since April 11 sparking on going rumours about his health.
Misinformation is spreading, with a doctored photo of Kim in a glass coffin going viral as reports emerged he may be dead.
Another theory on his disappearance is that he is hiding out in the resort city of Wonsan to ride out the coronavirus outbreak, with satellite photos showing his private train nearby.
North Korean state media yesterday reported Kim had sent a letter to builders and also communicated with the president of South Africa, but no new pictures were released.
South Korea have insisted Kim is "safe and well" and they believe he is merely lying low due to the coronavirus pandemic - with North Korea still insisting it has zero cases.
Speaking on Monday, US President Donald Trump said: "I can’t tell you, exactly — yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can’t talk about it now. I just wish him well.
"I hope he’s fine. I do know how he’s doing, relatively speaking. We will see. You will probably be hearing in the not-too-distant future."
Chinese journalist Shijian Xingzou said a “very solid source” told her the North Korean leader had died.
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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.
China has reportedly sent in a team of doctors or North Korea, while other reports speculate he was injured in a missile test.
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Trump says he knows exactly how Kim Jong-un’s health is and hints an update on the dictator is coming soon
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