Chinese paper falls for Onion story naming Kim Jong Un 'Sexiest Man Alive'

It appears that China's official Communist Party newspaper, People's Daily, has been duped by a mid-November Onion article naming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un 2012's "Sexiest Man Alive." While we're not disputing Kim's sexiness, People's Daily Online ran with a story announcing that "US website The Onion" had called him the world's sexiest man, with no reference to The Onion as a satirical paper. The People's Daily front-page feature includes a 55-page slideshow of photos of Kim -- whom The Onion calls "devastatingly handsome" and "cuddly" -- including Kim on horseback, Kim holding a gun and Kim dancing with old ladies.

Here's People's Daily's full text from the feature, lifted almost entirely from The Onion:

U.S. website The Onion has named North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un as the "Sexiest Man Alive for the year 2012".

"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," it said.

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"He has that rare ability to somehow be completely adorable and completely macho at the same time," said Marissa Blake-Zweiber, editor of The Onion Style and Entertainment.