‘Where is Kim Jong Un?’: Internet turns North Korean leader into meme amid US-Iran conflict

As tensions in the Middle East intensify following military strikes involving the United States, Israel and Iran, social media users across the world have found an unexpected figure to feature in viral memes — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

While the ongoing conflict centres on the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, internet users have humorously cast Kim as an outsider watching global events unfold from the sidelines.

Memes circulating widely online portray him as a curious observer of the escalating situation. In several viral posts, Kim is shown looking through binoculars or staring at a screen, accompanied by captions such as, “Are you monitoring the situation, son?”

The joke reflects the contrast between Kim’s frequent missile demonstrations and his absence from the current geopolitical conflict dominating global headlines.

Some memes suggested that the North Korean leader might be experiencing “FOMO” — fear of missing out — despite having what users jokingly referred to as the “best toys for the war.”

Check out some memes here:

A user wrote, “Kim Jung Un when he sees something like a missile across the sky but it turns out to be a shooting star.”

"Kim Jong UN waiting for missile to land in North Korea," a meme read.

The humorous trend quickly spread across platforms, with thousands of users sharing edits and jokes imagining Kim watching the unfolding crisis from afar.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign called "Operation Epic Fury," targeting Iranian military facilities, nuclear infrastructure and leadership sites.

According to reports, strikes in Tehran confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior military and political figures.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US military bases as well as civilian infrastructure across parts of the Gulf region, including the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Former US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the objective of the operation was to "permanently block" Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and dismantle its missile capabilities.

The Iranian Red Crescent reported that at least 555 people have died in Iran since the strikes began. Meanwhile, the US military confirmed that four American service members were killed in the conflict.

While memes featuring Kim Jong Un have spread widely, they highlight how social media often mixes humour with real-world events — even during periods of intense international tension.