Not realizing it was a satire, People's Daily on Tuesday published a photo spread on its website in a tribute to the 29-year-old North Korean leader, with the headline "North Korea's top leader named The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive for 2012."
The newspaper quoted The Onion's spoof report, "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."
People's Daily could not immediately be reached for comment.
Kim Jong Un was officially declared the supreme leader following the funeral for his father, Kim Jong Il, last year.
"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.
It is not the first time an international news agency 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 spoof that the Congress wanted a new building and that it might leave Washington.
Two months ago, Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency reprinted a story from The Onion about a fictional survey showing that rural white Americans would rather vote for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Barack Obama.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
