May 15, 2026 | 01:31 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video circulating on Instagram [archive], Facebook, TikTok, and X claims that North Korea's president announced the dispatch of five nuclear-armed warships to Iran.The video alternates between a news anchor, Kim's speech, and footage of a missile launch from a warship. The narrative claims North Korea supports Iran against Israel and the United States.However, does the video really show Kim sending five nuclear-armed warships to Iran?FACT CHECKTempo verified the content through a reverse image search and cross-checked the narrative with credible sources. The results showed that Kim never announced warships dispatched to the Middle East. The circulating video actually shows footage of Kim's speech at the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea on October 10, 2020, and a missile launch drill in 2026.Clip 1The first clip features a news report unrelated to Iran. The video is a broadcast by the Indian media outlet Wion, uploaded on April 14, 2026.The report details North Korea's test-firing of cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, supervised by Kim Jong Un. The test was conducted using the Choe Hyon naval destroyer to evaluate the warship's integrated weapons systems."Korea conducted test-firings of strategic cruise missiles and anti-warship missiles as part of its operational efficiency test," the presenter said in English.Clip 2Starting at the 7-second mark, the content showed clips of Kim delivering a speech, uploaded by Reuters. The footage captures the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea on October 10, 2020. The event featured a military parade, including a display of intercontinental ballistic missiles.Kim touched on issues of improving the people's economy and handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent researcher Rachel Minyoung Lee said the speech was carefully crafted to appeal to the North Korean people. The goal was to strengthen Kim's image as a competent, charismatic, and humanitarian leader.Clip 3At the 20-second mark, a screenshot of an article appears claiming to be from the Tribun Kalteng website. However, the article cannot be found in Google searches or on the Tribun Kalteng website.The photo used is footage of North Korea's test launch of two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-warship missiles on April 14, 2026, as reported by several media outlets, including TVRI. Kim Jong Un stated that he would continue to increase the strike radius of his weapons to limitlessly expand the reach of his country's nuclear weapons.The event was not directly related to the Iran war. No credible information was found indicating that North Korea sent warships or military aid to Iran to counter Israel and the United States.CONCLUSIONTempo's verification concluded that the narrative claiming the video showed the deployment of five North Korean warships to the Middle East to defend Iran against Israel and the United States is false.TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM**Do you have information or claims that you want to have fact-checked? Contact our ChatBot. You can also send criticism, objections, or feedback for this Fact-Checking article via email to [email protected].
