Twitter lights up with rumours of Kim Jong-un assassination By Friday afternoon there was no evidence that either claim was true, although news is often slow to seep out of the 'Hermit Kingdom'. The world did not learn of the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, until a day he suffered fatal heart attack in December last year. The rumours appeared to centre around an unusual flurry of activity at the North Korean embassy in the Chinese capital. Online users described seeing large numbers of cars and emergency vehicles, prompting speculation that Mr Kim was paying a visit to one of his only regional allies.