Juche necromancy

Juche necromancy is a satirical term that refers to alleged executions in the DPRK that are falsely reported by the Western media. Such claims are usually from anonymous sources or south Korean tabloids.

Examples

• In 2013, conservative south Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo claimed that the pop singer Hyon Song-wol was executed by machine gun. In May 2014, she appeared alive at the 9th National Convention of Artists in Pyongyang.
• A 2015 CNN article claimed that Kim Jong-un executed his aunt Kim Kyong-hui in the previous year. She appeared at a Lunar New Year festival in 2020, disproving the claim.
• In early 2016, BBC claimed that military official Ri Yong-gil was executed, relying on an anonymous south Korean source. Soon after, he was seen alive at the 7th Congress of the WPK.
• The British tabloid Daily Mail claimed that Kim Jong-un ordered the execution of diplomat Kim Hyok-chol. He attended a concert with Kim Jong-un only a week after these allegations were released.
• The Daily Star, another British tabloid, claimed that the DPRK has executed people by feeding them to piranhas and tigers.
• In 2020, Western media claimed that Kim Jong-un himself was dead or in a vegetative state. These reports traced back to the south Korean tabloid Daily NK.