[ED] Crying wolf on national security

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s surprise visit to Dandong, China, on Saturday helped dispel rumors that he had died, but the speculation diverted South Korean attention from the trip’s security implications. The editorial warns that false claims about Kim’s health can undermine public trust and distract from developments affecting South Korea’s preparedness. Kim crossed the New Amnok River Bridge and met Chinese official Wang Huning rather than President Xi Jinping. The editorial says the bridge could facilitate increased trade, potentially providing North Korea with revenue to finance weapons programs.

In 2020, some outlets reported Kim’s death based on a North Korean defector’s claim that he was 99 percent certain; Kim appeared in public days later.

The New Amnok River Bridge connects Dandong with Sinuiju, was completed in 2014, and was delayed from opening for more than a decade amid strained Pyongyang-Beijing relations.

Kim crossed the roughly 3-kilometer-long bridge by car during his visit to China.

The editorial says repeated rumors persist partly because information about North Korea and developments inside the country is severely limited.

The editorial urges the Lee Jae Myung administration to consider carefully calibrated disclosure of information about North Korea.

Published Oct 26, 2026 12:47 pm KST

Seoul should mull disclosing info about Pyongyang to curb fake news

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, is accompanied by Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of China's Communist Party, second right, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, third right, during a see-off ceremony on the New Amnok River Bridge that connects the two countries, after Kim's visit to Dandong in northeast China's Liaoning province, Saturday, in this photo released by Xinhua News Agency. AP-Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s surprise day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong came amid rumors claiming he had died after suffering a severe brain hemorrhage.

Unlike in 2020, when similar claims made international headlines, mainstream media outlets remained cautious this time. Journalists appear to have learned a bitter lesson from the disastrous media coverage six years ago. At the time, some outlets reported Kim’s death based on a high-profile North Korean defector’s claim that he was “99 percent certain” that the leader had died. Days later, Kim appeared in public, debunking the reports.

The erroneous reports significantly eroded public trust in the media. When viewers and readers lose confidence in what the media reports, news organizations pay the price.

The 2020 debacle has since served as a cautionary tale about the importance of evidence-based journalism, reminding journalists to double- and triple-check their sources and assess their credibility before publishing unverified claims.

While journalists were cautious about the latest rumors, the public was not.

The rumor spread rapidly across the internet. In an apparent effort to quell speculation, North Korea released photographs of Kim. But the images did little to silence the doubters. Some even claimed that the person in the photographs was Kim’s body double.

Kim’s surprise visit to China on Saturday, along with coverage by Chinese state media, ultimately helped put the rumors to rest.

The latest rumors about Kim’s death should serve as a wake-up call about the dangers of fake news. In the digital age, fake news can outlive fact-based reporting. Social media platforms and YouTube channels have emerged as alternative sources of information, increasing the risk that false claims will spread unchecked. Unverified information is published and circulated every day in the name of news. The consequences can be particularly serious when such claims concern national security, as the recent rumors about Kim’s death demonstrate. The North Korean leader’s health is a significant security issue.

Kim’s surprise visit to the Chinese border city helped dispel speculation about his health. His public appearance confirmed that he was alive and, whether intentionally or not, helped put an end to the rumors. In this sense, Kim himself played a part in countering fake news.

Yet the rumors shifted public attention in South Korea away from the implications of Kim’s China visit and toward the far more basic question of whether he was alive. This diversion comes at a cost to South Korea’s preparedness and ability to respond to developments in the North.

If the public repeatedly cries wolf, the warning itself will eventually lose its force. For South Korea, a country facing an adversary across the border, this complacency could prove dangerous.

Kim’s visit to China was no ordinary trip. It was unusual in that he traveled to the neighboring country without holding a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Instead, Kim met with Wang Huning, the fourth-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party.

Kim also entered China by crossing the New Amnok River Bridge by car. Originally completed in 2014, the bridge connects Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea. Although it was originally scheduled to open that year, strained relations between Pyongyang and Beijing delayed its opening for more than a decade.

Kim’s surprise trip signals a potential shift in Sino-North Korean relations and the prospect of increased bilateral trade. Once fully operational, the roughly 3-kilometer-long bridge could become an important conduit for trade between the two countries, further strengthening China’s role as North Korea’s economic partner.

Increased trade with China would provide North Korea with a more stable source of revenue, helping it further finance its weapons of mass destruction programs — a clear threat to South Korea’s security.

Fake news about Kim’s health has diverted the Korean public’s attention from these critical security implications, forcing people to focus instead on whether the North Korean leader is alive. South Korea is paying the price for this distraction.

Fake news thrives when reliable information is scarce or inaccessible. Repeated rumors about Kim’s health persist partly because information about North Korea and developments inside the country remains severely limited. To curb the spread of misinformation, the Lee Jae Myung administration should consider whether greater, carefully calibrated disclosure of information about North Korea is possible.

If South Korea’s intelligence authorities had confirmed Kim’s condition in a timely manner, the rumors might have lost momentum before spreading so widely. Truth helps prevent misunderstanding and slow the spread of fake news.

朝鲜领导人金正恩周六突访中国丹东，打破了有关他去世的谣言，但这些猜测也转移了韩国民众对此次访问安全影响的关注。社论警告说，有关金正恩健康状况的虚假消息会损害公众信任，并分散人们对影响韩国防备工作的关注。金正恩此次访问的地点是新鸭绿江大桥，他会见的是中国官员王沪宁，而不是国家主席习近平。社论指出，这座大桥可能会促进贸易增长，从而为朝鲜提供资金，用于资助其武器项目。

2020 年，一些媒体根据一名朝鲜脱北者的说法报道了金正恩的死讯，该脱北者声称自己有 99% 的把握确定金正恩已经去世；几天后，金正恩公开露面。

新鸭绿江大桥连接丹东和新义州，于 2014 年竣工，但由于平壤和北京关系紧张，该桥的通车被推迟了十多年。

金正恩在访问中国期间，乘车驶过这座约3公里长的桥梁。

社论指出，谣言反复出现的部分原因是，有关朝鲜及其国内发展的信息非常有限。

社论敦促李在明政府考虑谨慎地披露有关朝鲜的信息。

发布于2026年10月26日下午12:47（韩国标准时间）

首尔应考虑披露有关平壤的信息，以遏制虚假新闻。

新华社发布的这张照片显示，朝鲜领导人金正恩（左）在访问中国辽宁省丹东市后，于周六在连接朝韩两国的鸭绿江新桥上出席送别仪式。照片中，中共中央常委王沪宁（右二）和中国外交部长王毅（右三）陪同他出席。（美联社-韩联社）

朝鲜领导人金正恩突然造访中国边境城市丹东，此前有传言称他因严重脑出血去世。

与2020年类似消息登上国际新闻头条时不同，主流媒体此次保持谨慎。看来，记者们从六年前灾难性的媒体报道中吸取了惨痛的教训。当时，一些媒体根据一位知名朝鲜脱北者的说法——他“99%确定”金正恩已经去世——报道了金正恩的死讯。几天后，金正恩公开露面，驳斥了这些报道。

这些错误报道严重损害了公众对媒体的信任。当观众和读者对媒体报道的内容失去信心时，新闻机构就要付出代价。

2020 年的这场惨败成为了一个警示故事，提醒人们基于证据的新闻报道的重要性，提醒记者在发布未经证实的说法之前，要反复核实消息来源并评估其可信度。

尽管记者们对最新的传闻持谨慎态度，但公众却并非如此。

谣言迅速在网络上传播开来。为了平息猜测，朝鲜公布了金正恩的照片。但这些照片并未消除人们的疑虑。甚至有人声称照片中的人是金正恩的替身。

金正恩周六对中国的突访，以及中国官方媒体的报道，最终平息了这些谣言。

关于金正恩去世的最新谣言应该给我们敲响警钟，让我们警惕虚假新闻的危害。在数字时代，虚假新闻的传播速度往往超过基于事实的报道。社交媒体平台和YouTube频道已成为信息传播的替代渠道，这增加了虚假信息不受控制地扩散的风险。每天都有未经证实的信息以新闻的名义发布和传播。正如最近关于金正恩去世的谣言所表明的那样，当此类谣言涉及国家安全时，后果可能尤为严重。朝鲜领导人的健康状况是一个重大的安全问题。

金正恩出人意料地访问中国边境城市，有助于消除外界对其健康状况的猜测。他的公开露面证实他还活着，无论是有意还是无意，都帮助终结了谣言。从这个意义上讲，金正恩本人在打击虚假新闻方面发挥了作用。

然而，这些谣言转移了韩国公众的注意力，使其不再关注金正恩访华的意义，而是转向了他是否还活着这个更为根本的问题。这种转移损害了韩国应对朝鲜局势发展的准备和能力。

如果公众反复发出“狼来了”的警告，警告本身最终也会失去效力。对于韩国这样一个邻国临海的国家而言，这种自满情绪可能会带来危险。

金正恩此次访华并非一次普通的访问。不同寻常之处在于，他并未与中国国家主席习近平举行峰会，而是会见了中共中央第四号人物王沪宁。

金正恩还乘车经由新鸭绿江大桥进入中国。这座大桥最初于2014年竣工，连接中国丹东和朝鲜新义州。尽管原计划当年通车，但由于平壤和北京之间关系紧张，大桥的通车被推迟了十多年。

金正恩的此次出人意料的访问预示着中朝关系可能出现转变，并有望促进双边贸易增长。这座全长约3公里的桥梁一旦全面投入使用，将成为两国重要的贸易通道，进一步巩固中国作为朝鲜经济伙伴的地位。

与中国的贸易增加将为朝鲜提供更稳定的收入来源，帮助其进一步资助大规模杀伤性武器计划——这对韩国的安全构成明显威胁。

关于金正恩健康状况的虚假新闻转移了韩国公众对这些关键安全问题的注意力，迫使人们转而关注这位朝鲜领导人是否还活着。韩国正在为这种注意力分散付出代价。

当可靠信息匮乏或难以获取时，虚假新闻便会滋生蔓延。关于金正恩健康状况的谣言屡屡出现，部分原因在于有关朝鲜及其国内局势的信息仍然极其有限。为了遏制虚假信息的传播，李在明政府应考虑是否有可能更广泛、更谨慎地披露有关朝鲜的信息。

如果韩国情报部门能够及时确认金正恩的病情，谣言或许就不会传播得如此广泛。真相有助于消除误解，减缓虚假信息的传播。