On April 25, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Vladivostok, Russia, for their first summit. On this occasion and to celebrate the strengthening of ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, the two men made a toast during a sumptuous reception. A video of this event showing the two men clinking glasses, then looking at each other and putting their glass back on the table has since circulated online, claiming that the two leaders refused to drink due to a lack of confidence, fearing that their drink would be poisoned. But the images were reversed, and the original video shows the two leaders drinking from their cup.
“The trust between these two men” : on TikTok, a video posted in December 2023 showing Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong toasting, then looking at their cup for a long time before putting it back on the table has been circulating for months.
Proof, for many Internet users, of mutual distrust, for fear that their cup might be poisoned.
Screenshots taken on Tik Tok me 01/16/2024
Viral, the images circulated in numerous forms in Englishaccumulating 13 million views but also in Spanish.
While some shared the visual with amused reactions, others were surprised by such a gesture as the two leaders met to strengthen their bond. Others justify this action because of “strict protocol to respect”.
“When no one trusts the other”commented a French Internet user, “they are allies but can’t even trust each other”, comments another in English. “Normally, these are two powerful leaders with many enemies,” replies another.
“That’s because they didn’t toast loud enough for the liquids to mix in both glasses and prove that neither drink was poisoned.”a third believes.
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But this video has been manipulated.
Images filmed in 2019
If these images are shared in 2023 and 2024, the video from which they are extracted was filmed on April 25, 2019 during the first summit between Russia and North Korea which was then held in the city of Vladivostok, in the Far East. Russian East. The stated objective was to strengthen the “historical ties” between the two countries, as explained it then France 24 (archive ici).
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met face-to-face for talks “significant” between the two nations.
Two months after the resounding fiasco of his meeting with Donald Trump in Hanoi, Kim Jong Un assured that this time he had spent a “great time” after two hours of one-on-one time with the Russian president in Vladivostok.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un attended a reception organized on Roussky Island, opposite the port of Vladivostok.
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This video from Bloomberg, published on April 25, 2019 (archive ici) shows this event. The decor with a blue background and the flowered table are the same as those circulating in the video shared on Tik Tok, confirming that it is the same event.
AFP also broadcast images of the reception, in a 1’51 video showing first Vladimir Putin making a speech, then Kim Jong Un.
But on the Bloomberg images as on those of AFP the scenario is very different from that broadcast on TikTok.
Vladimir Putin already has his glass in his hand, Kim Jong Un grabs his from the table, then the two leaders look at each other, toast with a nod, turn to toast once again with their other table neighbor then the eight guests drink at the same time, and finally place their glass on the table.
Screenshot of the AFP video taken on 01/24/24
The images circulating on TikTok have been reversed and edited to make it appear that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un then put their glasses back on the table, while the images show the moment when they grab their cup just before toasting, and not after .
The AFP was able, using software, to reverse the video to confirm that it was exactly the same shot.
It is also possible, as several Internet users have pointed out, to guess that these are manipulated images because a man visible at the 4′ second of the Tik Tok video behind Kim Jong Un walks backwards.
Screenshot of TikTok video taken on 01/24/24
Manipulating images online is very easy, find ici advice from AFP to learn how to spot photos and videos taken out of context and check them using free tools.
