The official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party seems to have been taken in by a satirical story from the Onion, which proclaimed Kim Jong Un the “sexiest man alive” in 2012.
The People’s Daily republished the Onion report almost in full, including such sentences as:
With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman’s dream come true.
and
Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper’s editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that famous smile.
and
He has that rare ability to somehow be completely adorable and completely macho at the same time.
The state-run paper featured a 55 page slide show of the brooding North Korean dictator alongside the story. Slides like this one:
At the time of writing, the story was featured prominently on the website’s front page, using a picture taken from a Time Magazine front cover (for a Time Magazine feature that was less than complimentary about the dictator):
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The story was quickly picked up by a South Korean paper, The Korea Times.
UPDATE: the Onion just posted an update:
UPDATE: For more coverage on The Onion’s Sexiest Man Alive 2012, Kim Jong-Un, please visit our friends at the People’s Daily in China, a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion, Inc. Exemplary reportage, comrades.
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