Video doesn’t show Kim Jong Un speaking about Israel-Hamas war

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war, now nearing its third week, has resulted in thousands of deaths. According to an Al Jazeera report, nearly 5,100 people have been killed in Gaza, and 1,400 people have died in Israel.

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media claims to show North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaking about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. However, the subtitles on the video do not reflect Kim's actual speech. The captions show Kim wishing luck to former U.S. President Donald Trump for the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election and suggesting that the world would end in World War 3 if Joe Biden wins the polls. 

Text on the video, purporting to be subtitles for Kim’s speech, reads, “Kim Jong-un speech about Israel Palestine war. Under the Biden administration conflicts erupt yearly. This year a war begins between Israel and Palestine. Last year a war begins between Russia and Ukraine and two years ago billions worth of military equipment was left to the Taliban. I'm afraid that if the Biden admin. does not cease to exist in the next election World War 3 may begin. Who knows what next year's war will be. I support Donald Trump for President in 2024. Good luck to Mr. Trump.”

Multiple users shared the video on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) making the same claim. One such post on X read, “LATEST: Kim Jong Un speaks on the Israel and Gaza War and wishes Donald Trump luck in 2024 and suggests if Biden wins the world will end in WWIII. Do you agree?” The post has garnered over 77,000 views and 273 likes. Archived versions of the viral posts can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral posts on X and Facebook. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, a video from 2020 showing Kim Jong-un speaking at a military parade is being shared with incorrect captions.

What did we find?

A reverse image search on keyframes of the viral video revealed that it dates back to 2020. The video of Kim’s speech was published by Singapore-based news outlet CNA on October 12, 2020. The video's description states, "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to cry during a speech at a military parade on Oct 10 to mark the 75th anniversary of the country's ruling Workers' Party."

The original video Kim Jong Un making a speech in 2020. (Source: Channel News Asia/YouTube)

The CNA video carries Kim’s speech in two sections - from the 0:13-minute to 0:30-minute timestamps and then the 0:49-minute to 1:05-minute timeframe. These sections match the frames of the viral video. By analyzing the Korean transcript of the video from YouTube and translating it into English, we found that the transcript doesn’t show Kim making any reference to the Israel-Hamas conflict or the 2024 U.S. elections. We then synchronized the audio and video from the viral video with the YouTube video and confirmed that they are both the same. 

A BBC report dated October 13, 2020, carried a video of the same speech and stated that Kim became emotional during a speech at a military parade. He was in tears while speaking about the country's struggle and thanked the soldiers for their contributions during the pandemic and a recent natural disaster.

Comparison between the viral video and the video featured in the BBC report. (Source: X/BBC/Modified by Logically Facts)

We also found the complete text of the speech by Kim during the military parade, published by U.S. non-governmental organization The National Committee on North Korea (NCNK). According to this transcript, Kim made no mention of the Israel-Hamas war or the 2024 elections. He spoke about the 75 years of the Workers’ Party and its struggles, praised the military, and discussed the impact of the coronavirus.

South Korean news organization The Hankyoreh also reported the same on October 11, 2020. An image of Kim featured in the report matches the viral video. According to the caption of the image, it was captured during a military parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party on October 10 in Pyongyang. The report stated that Kim praised the army in his speech and expressed his gratitude for their hard work during COVID-19 and natural disasters.

North Korea on Israel-Hamas war 

According to a report by the South Korean news outlet The Korea Herald, dated October 23, 2023, North Korea has blamed the United States for instigating the war between Israel and Hamas, claiming that Washington is "entirely" responsible for the tragedy. We could not find any reports suggesting that Kim said World War 3 would start if Biden returns to office.

The verdict

An old video of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaking at a military parade has been shared with fake captions and falsely linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The viral video was captured in 2020 during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.