President Trump charted a whipsaw course in relations with North Korea, going from alarming nuclear tests and brash threats to friendly summits with Kim Jong Un. President-elect Biden has not ruled out meeting with Kim but has signaled he’d revert to a more patient, measured approach.In a speech at a party congress this month, Kim acknowledged the country “fell a long way short” of five-year economic targets set in 2016, a candor that has set him apart from his father.
North Korea’s trade with China fell 80% last year compared with 2019, according to Seoul-based Korea International Trade Assn. Strict border controls were enforced by the military all of last year, the association said. Along the 880-mile border with China, through which many refugees previously escaped and many goods have been smuggled, a shoot-on-sight order is in place, according to memos obtained by South Korea-based outlets Daily NK and NK News.
Ishimaru said the closures have been punishing. While international sanctions targeted major exports including coal and seafood and blocked imports of oil, they hadn’t affected imports of food or other consumer goods. But the border closures have directly affected regular North Koreans’ lives to an extent the sanctions never had, Ishimaru said.
Analysts said the coronavirus may also have served as a scapegoat for Kim’s failed economic aspirations as well as an opportunity for his regime to roll back some of the reforms and reassert control over the informal markets, foreign currency trade and society overall.“COVID-19 is an unpredictable situation that’s affecting the entire world, not just North Korea. In some ways, it serves as an excuse,” said Yang Moon-soo, professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies.
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Fact check: Did Kim Jong Un call Joe Biden a thug during a speech?A viral TikTok video suggested the North Korean leader said he has a 'good relationship' with Donald Trump and that 'Biden is a coward.' WhoCares 🤣🤣🤣 And we will use a pic of trump 😂😂
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »
Hitting Nerve With Kim Jong Un Regime Takes Just a Few WordsFollowing Washington’s rhetorical shift from “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” to “denuclearization of North Korea” during this week’s trip to Tokyo and Seoul, one of Pyongyang’s top diplomats to called the phrase part of a “lunatic theory” An ill advised shift and foreign policy blunder by Biden Dunkofkim seni çılgın seni çılgın Pretty simple, really. South Korea can't defend itself against a nuclear attack, which gives Kim a powerful bargaining chip. This is a threat to take that chip away.
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »
Kim Jong-un likens North Korea's economic struggles to massive 1990s famineAt a party meeting Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un compared the ills the country currently faces to the severe famines it suffered in the 1990s, according to AP.Why it matters: Groups monitoring North Korea have not seen signs of mass starvation or a growing humanitarian disaster, but the comparison may underscore how Kim views the country's current economic difficulties.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe same groups have said that China, North Korea's biggest trading partner and aid benefactor, won't allow a famine to occur in the country because it fears refugees crossing over the Chinese-North Korean border.What they're saying: 'There are many obstacles and difficulties ahead of us, and so our struggle for carrying out the decisions of the Eighth Party Congress would not be all plain sailing,' Kim told party members on Thursday, according to AP, citing the Korean Central News Agency.'I made up my mind to ask the WPK (Workers' Party of Korea) organizations at all levels, including its Central Committee and the cell secretaries of the entire party, to wage another more difficult 'arduous march' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little,' Kim added. Of note: 'Arduous march' is used in North Korea to describe the famine it suffered in the 1990s and early 2000s, during which an estimated 1.5 million to 3 million people died, according to the New York Times.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
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Kim Jong Un’s Family Tree: What You Need to Know About North Korea’s DynastyThe Kim family has governed North Korea since Soviet leader Joseph Stalin installed clan patriarch Kim Il Sung after World War II, holding power for three generations despite widespread poverty and an appalling human-rights record. They've been under intense scrutiny for their human rights abuses for decades now. Here's a look at their records. It's not difficult to see the parallels between the two. thank you very much for your work )
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »
North Korea's Kim Yo Jong blasts South Korea, Biden over 'stupid' war games'We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land,' North Korea's Kim Yo Jong said. 'If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.' Come on Kimmy! Trump loved your stupid parades. Why can’t you be nice for once?
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »