Even the readers of several British tabloids have cast doubt on a source-based story that claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un executed one of his generals in a piranha-filled tank.
The eye-grabbing headline first appeared in the Daily Star. The tabloid cited "sources" as saying that Kim executed one of his generals in a manner worthy of a James Bond movie, by throwing him into a fish tank infested with piranhas. In 1977's 'The Spy Who Loved Me' film, the evil Karl Stromberg fed his assistant to a carnivorous shark and attempted to repeat the trick on Agent 007.
Also on rt.com Fake news? ‘Executed’ North Korean seems to resurface alive, another shows up at concertThe tank with the carnivorous fish is reportedly part of the interiors of Kim's Ryongsong Residence, a luxury mansion in northern Pyongyang.
The report does not provide the names of the sources or the general, but is replete with gory detail – it claims that before being thrown to the piranhas, the general's arms and torso were slashed with knives. Whether he drowned, bled to death or was killed by the actual fish, or whether any of it actually happened, is impossible to tell.
Readers of the Daily Star and other British tabloids who pounced on the story, however, found it hard to take at face value. Instead, a flurry of memes ensued.
Others suggested that the general, whoever he might be, will show up in public soon "after his well-deserved holidays."
Some were so incredulous they suggested cranking the absurdity up to eleven and cop the "sharks with frickin' laser beams" from the 1997 spy parody Austin Powers instead.
"Were the laser beam sharks recharging?" a commentator asked.
Another one quipped it was a step up from other over-the-top execution techniques previously attributed to Kim, like the notorious anti-aircraft gun.
Jokes aside, some appeared to be genuinely upset at the British media eagerly painting Kim as a comic book villain based on unverifiable sources.
It comes just a week after initial claims that several North Korean officials, including nuclear envoy Kim Hyok-chol were executed in the wake of the failed Trump-Kim summit. Those were then challenged by other source-based, which said the officials, or at least some of them, were alive.
Rumours that Kim uses mortar fire and flamethrowers to execute those who fell from grace have been circulating for several years. However, it's almost impossible to verify either of them due to Pyongyang's being notoriously tight-lipped about its internal policy.
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Source : RT - Daily news
How far is too far? UK tabloids mocked for claiming Kim fed general to piranhas
How far is too far? UK tabloids mocked for claiming Kim fed general to piranhas
