As the North Korean government renewed its support for Iran amid the U.S. and Israel's military incursion in March 2026, a rumor circulated online that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Israel made a "big mistake" after it struck the North Korean embassy in Tehran, Iran.
One X post (archived) with millions of views read: "BREAKING: Kim Jong un says Israel has made a big mistake to hit its embassy in Tehran."
(X user @World_Affairs11)
The post included no evidence to back the claim — only stock photos of Kim Jong Un and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The claim then spread via other X accounts and on other social media platforms, including Bluesky,
There was no evidence Israel struck the North Korean embassy in Tehran, nor that Kim Jong Un had issued a statement about such a strike. The rumor appeared to be entirely fabricated for online engagement.
Google search results primarily turned up related social media posts or fact checks debunking the claim. If Israel had struck the North Korean embassy in Iran, reputable news media outlets would have covered the event and any developments. That was not the case.
The official archive (archived) of statements by Kim Jong Un and the North Korean government similarly revealed Kim Jong Un did not make a statement about an Israeli strike on his nation's embassy in Iran.
A map of strikes by the Institute for the Study of War on Tehran from March 9-10 reveals a U.S.-Israeli strike hit an area near the North Korean embassy in Tehran, but there is no indication the embassy itself was struck (red and blue text our own):
(Institute for the Study of War)
As one of Iran's allies, a spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement (archived) on March 11:
We express serious concern over and strongly denounce the acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israel that are destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide by mounting illegal military attack on Iran.
Any rhetorical threats and military action, which violate the political system and territorial integrity of the relevant country, interfere in its internal affairs and openly advocate the attempt to overthrow its social system, deserve worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated.
For further reading, we debunked a claim that an image authentically showed an Iranian missile with an inscription about the victims of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.