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Fake news site posts that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is dead for second time in a month
A fake news story that said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was killed in a coordinated, nationwide strike by U.S. forces under cover of darkness comes from a shopworn website known for churning out fabricated stories.
"Report: Kim Jong Un killed in (President Donald) Trump’s overnight black op attack on North Korea," read the headline on a July 28, 2017, ArmyUSANews.com post. Facebook users flagged the post as being potentially fabricated, as part of the social media site’s efforts to curb fake news.
The story said that 17 SEAL teams struck multiple targets, and that "in three hours time, the entire military infrastructure of that country has been eliminated," according to a reporter. Kim was reportedly killed, although state media played a "death to America" speech recorded years ago, the article said.
Kim Jong Un’s death has not been reported widely because this coordinated attack did not happen. The story is fake. (The photo showing a North Korean city on fire is actually a British hospital burning.)
It originated on July 23 on TheLastLineOfDefense.org, a website run by a self-described liberal troll who creates absurd news stories in an attempt to fool conservative readers.
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A footnote on the bottom of the website said that "everything on this site is a satirical work of fiction." The warning is repeated in the About Us section, where a disclaimer reads, "We present fiction as fact and our sources don’t actually exist."
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This isn’t the first time TheLastLineOfDefense.org has posted a story that said Kim was dead. The site posted a story on July 6 that said an American sniper had killed the North Korean leader — we ruled that claim Pants On Fire!
It’s not immediately apparent why the site would post essentially the same story just a couple of weeks apart. We attempted to contact TheLastLineOfDefense.org to see if a fictional assassination of Kim Jong Un would be a regular occurrence on the site, but didn’t get a response.
Just like the last time the site killed Kim, we rate this Pants On Fire!
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Our Sources
ArmyUSANews.com, "REPORT: Kim Jong Un Killed In Trump’s Overnight Black Op Attack On North Korea," July 28, 2017
TheLastLineOfDefense.org, "REPORT: Kim Jong Un Killed In Trump’s Overnight Black Op Attack On North Korea," July 23, 2017
PunditFact, "If you're fooled by fake news, this man probably wrote it," May 31, 2017
TheLastLineOfDefense.org, "Kim Jong Un Dead: North Koreans Calling Trump An Assassin," July 6, 2017
The Telegraph, "Weybridge hospital fire: Homes evacuated as flames engulf Surrey medical centre," July 12, 2017
PunditFact, "It's fake news that an American killed North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un," July 20, 2017
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More by Joshua Gillin
Fake news site posts that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is dead for second time in a month
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