Photo of Kim Jong Un with Huawei phone has been edited

A photo shared online appears to show North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un with a Huawei smartphone, but it’s been edited. 

Kim Jong Un is seemingly using the device to take a photo of military personnel. It has been shared with the caption: “Kim with the Huawei Trifold”, which refers to a phone model recently released by Huawei, a technology and communications company established in China. 

But the photo has been edited—in the original photo there’s no device in his hand and he appears to be doing a thumbs-up signal, reportedly while guiding a military drill at an army training base. 

The original photo was released by North Korea along with other photos showing the country’s leader inside a uranium enrichment facility, which produces material essential for nuclear weapons. 

Huawei has been banned from the UK’s 5G infrastructure with the company’s existing technology ordered to be removed by the end of 2027. 

This follows US sanctions on Huawei introduced in 2020, which restricted the foreign sales of US semiconductor chips on which the company had previously relied on. Shortly after this the US Federal Communications Commission designated Huawei as a national security threat. 

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) subsequently said the security risk of Huawei products—such as phone mast sites and telephone exchanges—can no longer be managed now Huawei is unlikely to be able to use US technology and software.

Altered and manipulated videos and images can cause misinformation to spread widely online. Full Fact has seen many examples of edited photos of leaders and politicians, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US president Donald Trump. 

It’s important to consider whether something is genuine before sharing. Our guides to spotting misleading images can help you to do this.