Tag: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea confirms 1st COVID outbreak, Kim orders lockdown

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea imposed a nationwide lockdown Thursday to control its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record keeping out the virus that has spread to nearly every place in the world. […]

EXPLAINER: What made North Korea test giant new ICBM?

SEOUL, South Korea — In firing an almost cartoonishly massive intercontinental ballistic missile into space, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has turned back the clock to the “fire and fury” days of 2017 as he revives nuclear brinkmanship aimed at pressuring the United States to accept his country as […]

North Korea’s Kim talks food not nukes for 2022

SEOUL, Jan 1 – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un capped off his 10th year in power with a speech that made more mention of tractor factories and school uniforms than nuclear weapons or the United States, according to summaries by state media on Saturday. North Korea’s main […]

Leaders of North Korea, China vow to strengthen ties

SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean and Chinese leaders expressed their desire Sunday to further strengthen their ties as they exchanged messages marking the 60th anniversary of their countries’ defense treaty. In a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said it […]

Kim berates North Korean officials for ‘crucial’ virus lapse

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated top officials for failures in coronavirus prevention that caused a “great crisis,” using strong language that raised the specter of a mass outbreak in a country that would be scarcely able to handle it. The state media […]

Analysis: North Korea sees ‘propaganda value’ in slimmer Kim, analysts say

SEOUL, June 28 – A rare mention in North Korean state media of leader Kim Jong Un’s health could be intended to head off speculation and play up shared sacrifice amid food shortages, analysts said. The tightly controlled state media on Friday quoted an unidentified resident of Pyongyang […]

N Korea’s Kim looks much thinner, causing health speculation

SEOUL, South Korea — The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long been a source of morbid fascination in rival South Korea, which sits in the shadow of Kim’s 1.2-million-strong army and his growing arsenal of nuclear-armed missiles. Has he gained even more weight? Is […]

Mired in crises, North Korea’s Kim to open big party meeting

SEOUL, South Korea — Coronavirus restrictions that have significantly limited his public appearances. Warning signals for an economy battered by pandemic-related border closings and natural disasters. The impending departure of a U.S. president who said he “fell in love” with him. As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un […]

S. Korea agency says N. Korea executed people, shut capital

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered at least two people executed, banned fishing at sea and locked down the capital, Pyongyang, as part of frantic efforts to guard against the coronavirus and its economic damage, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Friday. […]

North Korean leader offers rare apology for killing of South Korean

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un apologised on Friday for the shooting death of a South Korean man to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the South’s national security adviser said, as public and political outrage over the killing grew. The apology came in a […]

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