Summary China's Communist Party newspaper has hailed a report North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
BEIJING: The online version of China s Communist Party newspaper has hailed a report by The Onion naming North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as the "Sexiest Man Alive", not realizing it is satire.
The People s Daily on Tuesday ran a 55-page photo spread on its website in a tribute to the round-faced leader, under the headline "North Korea s top leader named The Onion s Sexiest Man Alive for 2012."
Quoting the Onion s spoof report, the Chinese newspaper wrote, " 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."
"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," the People s Daily cited The Onion as saying.
The photos the People s Daily selected include Kim on horseback squinting into the light and Kim waving toward a military parade. In other photos, he is wearing sunglasses and smiling, or touring a facility with his wife.
People s Daily could not immediately be reached for comment. A man who answered the phone at the newspaper s duty office said he did not know anything about the report and requested queries be directed to their newsroom on Wednesday morning.
It is not the first time a state-run Chinese newspaper has fallen for a fictional report by The Onion.
In 2002, the Beijing Evening News, one of the capital city s biggest tabloids at the time, published as news the fictional account that the U.S. Congress wanted a new building and that it might leave Washington.
The Onion article was a deadpan spoof of the way sports teams threaten to leave cities in order to get new stadiums.
