On Friday May 1, North Korean lead Kim Jong Un reportedly resurfaced in the public eye after 20 days.
He’s alive and well.
Allegedly.
But not everyone believes the story. Shortly following his return, “North Korea truthers” went viral online iwht a claim that a body double is being used as a stand-in for the dictator of North Korea.
Skeptics claim that there are key facial differences between Kim and the man pictured, who they claim to be his imposter.
A human rights activist Jennifer Zeng posted a handful of photos speculating on the dictator’s identity.
Is the Kim Jong-un appearing on May 1 the real one? 4 things to watch: 1. Teeth 2. Ears 3. Hair 4. Sister 金正恩露面被疑替身 網友提出4個理由. 1. 牙齒明顯不同 2 耳朵形狀不同 3 神情和頭髮 4 妹妹年輕了十歲 pic.twitter.com/ngKIyNtPpT
— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) May 2, 2020
Kim’s teeth, hairline, and earlobes are different, she claimed.
Many news articles have also pointed to what appeared to have been a needle mark on Kim’s wrist, alluding to the likelihood that he had some kind of surgery during his absence.
More of old and new photos "Kim Jong-un" to compare. 更多「金正恩」新老照片對比。 pic.twitter.com/zvaMlUpTcP
— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) May 2, 2020
Interestingly enough, South Korea is denying Kim ever had a surgical procedure.
But one former member of British Parliament is sold.
Louise Mensch said, “These aren’t the same man.”
https://twitter.com/LouiseMensch/status/1256444261756735488
Detractors of the body double conspiracy have since claimed that some of the images circulating the internet have been photoshopped.
North Korea is so reclusive, it’s hard to know what’s true and what’s a baseless conspiracy theory.
International Business-Times reported that Kim is known to have body doubles. The Sun even claimed to have once caught Kim in 2017 speaking with his own body double during missile launch testing.
And it was rumored in 2009 that North Korean officials sent a body double of Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, to meet former President Bill Clinton.
We’d like to know what you think.
Do you think Kim Jong Un is dead or alive?
Vote here --
The Horn editorial team