Posts falsely link old Kim Jong Un speech to North Korea energy shortages
- Published on April 27, 2026 at 08:19
- 3 min read
- By Ayesha MIRZA, Grace MOON, AFP Pakistan, AFP South Korea
The disruption to global energy supplies has also seen fuel prices soar in North Korea, but posts claiming the country's leader Kim Jong Un said he would give up long late-night drives with his wife misrepresent an old speech. There are no official reports of the North Korean leader making any such remarks in relation to oil shortages in the country. The false posts use footage from emotional remarks Kim gave during a military parade in October 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
The video purportedly showing Kim Jong Un giving a speech about the sacrifices he would make as the country deals with fuel shortages was shared on Facebook on April 15, 2026.
The video, which is overlaid with music, appears to show Kim speaking from a podium as people in the audience are on the verge of tears.
Its Urdu-language caption says he announced children should not be sent to school and businesses should close early, and quotes him as saying: "Due to the country's oil shortage, I will avoid long drives late at night with my wife."
"Hearing this, the entire nation was shocked, seeing Kim's sacrifice. This is how deeply his people love him," it goes on to say.
Similar claims were also shared elsewhere on social media after oil prices in North Korea soared as a result of the war in the Middle East, according to reporting by North Korea-focused online media outlet Daily NK (archived link).
The war, initiated by joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has disrupted global energy supply chains as Tehran responded by effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz -- one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels (archived link).
The Daily NK reported the ongoing war has pushed fuel prices in North Korea sharply higher, with drivers hoarding supplies in anticipation of higher costs (archived link).
But there have been no official reports about Kim making the remarks attributed to him in the circulating social media posts.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to several similar news videos shared on YouTube of Kim delivering an emotional speech during a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in October 2020 (archived here, here and here).
AFP reported that the October 10, 2020 military parade saw Pyongyang show off its latest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile, and that Kim's voice trembled momentarily as he spoke of "tears of gratitude" for his people's efforts (archived link).
He repeatedly and effusively thanked the citizens and military for their loyalty and for remaining healthy in the face of the global coronavirus epidemic, which he insisted had not caused a single case in the North.
A subsequent keyword search on the archives of KCNA Watch, a website that monitors and archives North Korean media, found the falsely shared video was an extract of Kim's speech broadcast on North Korean national TV on October 10, 2020 (archived link).
A review of the speech shows Kim was thanking troops and citizens for their sacrifices during the coronavirus outbreak while also issuing an emotional apology for failing to meet expectations.
In the section lifted by the false posts, Kim says in Korean: "This year, in particular, our People's Army soldiers have shown patriotic and heroic devotion on the unexpected fronts of epidemic control and disaster recovery -- something no one can witness without shedding tears of gratitude.
"That is why I feel so sorry, and my heart aches on this glorious night as we can not all be together. Even at this very moment, many of our service members are unable to come to this glorious Kim Il Sung Square, as they fight bravely on the frontlines of epidemic prevention and disaster recovery to safeguard the nation and the well-being of the people.
"As I reflect on the honourable 75-year history of our party, I have given deep thought to what I should say as I stand here today. Yet the only heartfelt confession that I wish to share with our people, the only word that truly comes from heart is 'thank you'."
He does not make any mention of oil shortages forcing him to avoid long late-night drives with his wife, as the false posts claim.
AFP has debunked other false claims stemming from the Middle East war.
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