As the US-Israel-Iran conflict entered its seventh day, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emerged as an unlikely social media star — despite having no direct role in the fighting. Internet users piled on with jokes and memes imagining how Kim might be reacting from afar.
Many posts riffed on “FOMO” (fear of missing out), and mocked North Korea’s much-publicised missile programme as “MIA” (missing in action) during the crisis. Others suggested the country’s nuclear deterrent may simply be doing its job by keeping Pyongyang out of the confrontation. Commenters noted the irony that a state which has long displayed its rockets now appears absent from an unfolding Middle East clash.
Popular tweets shared images and captions such as “when you have the best toys but no one calls you to play” and exchanges like “Sir, still no missiles headed our direction” — “Refresh it again.” Short videos and reels on platforms like Instagram and Twitter amplified the joke, tagging hashtags about World War 3, Iran, Israel and North Korea. The memes portray Kim as feeling left out, turning a grave geopolitical crisis into a moment of online levity.
