This video shows a Chinese singer performing on a television programme in 2013

This article is more than one year old.
Published on October 29, 2020 at 08:10
2 min read
By AFP Hong Kong

A video of a woman signing a Chinese song has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim that the singer is Ri Sol Ju, wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The claim is false; the footage actually shows a Chinese singer performing on a television programme in 2013.

The video was published here on Facebook on March 10, 2019. It has since been viewed more than 75,000 times and shared more than 1,800 times.

A screenshot, taken on October 26, 2020, of the misleading post

The post’s traditional-Chinese caption and the simplified-Chinese text overlay in the video translate to English as: “Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, is singing a Chinese song, ‘Desire’”.

Some Facebook users appeared to be misled by the claim, posting comments such as “Just as great as our president's wife”, “Singing with emotions and clear articulation, really worth the praise”, and “as the wife of a foreign president, she really sings so well!”.

A screenshot, taken on October 26, 2020, of a selection of comments on the misleading post.

The video was also published on Facebook here, here, here, here and here.

The claim, however, is false.

Keyword searches on Google found the footage actually shows a performance by Bo Wen, a Chinese singer and actress, on the China Central Television (CCTV) programme 'Chinese Singing Show' in 2013.

The footage was published on CCTV’s YouTube channel here on September 12, 2013. The performance can be seen from 40:25-43:35 and Bo Wen’s name can be seen in a chyron at the 40:25 mark.

A screenshot, taken on October 26, 2020, of the YouTube video with the name of the performer circled in blue by AFP.

On September 8, 2013, the Chinese Singing Show published a list on Weibo detailing the songs that would be performed during the show on September 12, 2013.

Below is a screenshot of the Weibo post with Bo Wen’s name and the title of her song -- “May kind people be blessed with life-long peace” -- circled in red:

A screenshot, taken on October 26, 2020, of the Weibo post from the Chinese Singing Show with the name of the song performed in the misleading post circled in red by AFP.

Bo Wen also reposted the Chinese Singing Show’s Weibo post on her own account here on September 8, 2013.

The misleading post was also debunked by Taiwanese fact checker My Go Pen here on October 20, 2020.

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