Fact Check: Picture Shows Putin and Kim Jong Un Riding Roller Coaster?

Claim:

A photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un riding a rollercoaster together.

Rating:

Fake ( About this rating? )

Following a June 2024 meeting in North Korea between Russian President Vlaidmir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a picture apparently showing Kim and Putin heartily enjoying a ride on a roller coaster together went viral on several social media platforms. Jason Hinkle, for example, shared the image on X, garnering millions of views:

The image was fake, with telltale signs of being AI-generated. While the two leaders did go viral for driving around in an expensive car during this June 19, 2024, meeting, and even though Kim Jong Un has gone viral in the past for appearing in photographs at a Pyongyang amusement park, the two leaders did not ride a roller coaster together.

In a non-AI-imagined reality, officials for both leaders would likely have noticed structural beams supporting the ride connect to nothing and that the track itself, which is strewn with detritus, ended with an apparent death drop into a concession tent and ruled it a grave security risk:

An earlier post on Facebook including the viral image also included other apparently AI-generated, date-like moments between the two leaders:

Coverage of the summit, which was tightly controlled by North Korean and Russian state media, did not include any mention of a trip to any amusement park, as described by The Associated Press:

The pair marched on the red carpet in Kim Il Sung Square, named after the current leader's grandfather and the nation's founder. They gazed upon a sea of balloon-toting children. They reviewed a military parade and eyed a crowd waving pompoms.

They saw — but were not shown interacting with — groups of North Korean citizens, who if the past is any indication were meticulously vetted before getting anywhere near the scene.

Those images were vivid and plentiful, but they represented the predictable output of an experienced propaganda apparatus.

Because the photo has telltale signs of being AI-generated, and because the two leaders have never actually ridden on a roller coaster together, Snopes rates the photograph Fake.

Sources:

"Kim Jong Un Rides in Limousine Gifted to Him by Russian President Vladimir Putin." Sky News , https://news.sky.com/story/kim-jong-un-rides-in-limousine-gifted-to-him-by-russian-president-vladimir-putin-13095750 . Accessed 2 July 2024.

"The Putin-Kim Summit Produced an Unusual — and Speedy — Flurry of Glimpses into North Korea." AP News , 20 June 2024, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-russia-kim-putin-summit-images-7ff8b8b5f8b327a58d54ad6f2e2f4794 .

West, James. "Kim Jong Un's Mysterious Roller Coaster Pal, Revealed." Mother Jones , https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/08/kim-jong-un-amusement-park-photo-british-diplomat/ . Accessed 2 July 2024.