North Korean state media published photos of leader Kim Jong Un shortly after rumors of his death spread online, according to the BBC. The state newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed Kim touring what it said was a clothing and footwear exhibition. His teenage daughter was with him.

The photos emerged hours after a Chinese dissident living in the US claimed, without evidence, that Kim had died, the BBC reported. The dissident alleged that Kim had a severe brain hemorrhage and was taken to a hospital in Beijing. He claimed Kim's body was then secretly returned to North Korea.

Neither the photos nor the rumors have been independently verified. There is no way to know exactly when the images were taken, the BBC reported. Newsweek reported that state media dated the visit to October 19. A Korea expert at the Stimson Center said the rumor "remains hearsay and unsubstantiated," Newsweek reported. The dissident has spread unverified claims before.

The BBC pointed to other reasons to doubt the claim. A sudden health crisis would likely bring signs beyond North Korea's borders, such as tighter security on the Chinese border. None of this has happened, the BBC reported. South Korean intelligence officials said they had heard nothing to support the reports, according to the BBC, citing Yonhap.

Such rumors keep coming back, the BBC reported. In 2020, a well-known North Korean defector said he was "99% certain" Kim had died. Kim later appeared in public.

The BBC gave two reasons the rumors spread. One is succession. South Korea's intelligence agency believes Kim may be preparing his daughter, thought to be about 13, as a successor. The other is his health. Kim, 42, is overweight and a heavy smoker, and heart problems run in his family, the BBC reported.

What we know: State media released photos of Kim at an exhibition after online claims that he had died.
What we don't: When the photos were taken.