China paper falls for Onion joke about Kim

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 realising it is satire.

The People’s Daily ran a 55-image gallery on its website in a tribute to the leader, under the headline “North Korea’s top leader named The Onion’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2012”. The newspaper described the organisation awarding the title as “US website The Onion”, but made no mention of satire and published the report as world news.

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.