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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent his first formal message to China since he came out of a nearly three-week public absence again, praising President Xi Jinping for his “success” in handling the coronavirus.
The official Korean Central News Agency said on Friday that Kim sent a verbal message congratulating Xi, saying the Chinese leader was “seizing an opportunity for victory in the unprecedented war on the epidemic.” Kim also “wished Xi Jinping good health,” as he and the ruling communist party advance to “win a final victory,” KCNA said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to provide details on the message. “China and North Korea are close neighbors and have maintained close communications about the fight against the coronavirus,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing on Friday.
While North Korea has often sent such messages to its neighbor and main geopolitical benefactor, it may receive more scrutiny because it follows Kim’s prolonged absence from the events. That pause ended when official media showed Kim smiling appearing at a ribbon-cutting event on May 1 to open a new fertilizer factory, wearing a Mao suit and being greeted by cheers from workers.
The health of the North Korean leader is one of the country’s best-kept secrets, known only to a few people in the inner circle. While North Korea’s state media hardly ever talks about it, a prolonged absence can lead to speculation in the outside world.
Reuters reported last month, citing people familiar with the matter, that China had sent a medical team to North Korea to advise on Kim. North Korea’s state media has not hinted at Kim’s health, but the Seoul-based JoongAng Daily newspaper separately reported that the North Korean leader had been quarantined after one of his bodyguards was confirmed with a coronavirus infection.
In a separate report by the North Korean media on Friday, a spokesman for the North Korean armed forces called a set of South Korean military exercises for this week “reckless” and “provocative.” Pyongyang has often used such exercises as a pretext for its own military displays.
The comment came after Seoul accused North Korean troops on Sunday of shooting South Korean personnel in the demilitarized zone that divides the two countries. South Korea said the action violated a 2018 military agreement between President Moon Jae-in and Kim to suspend hostile actions that could lead to conflict.
For decades, Beijing has been concerned about the instability of the North Korean leadership with nuclear weapons that could lead to a humanitarian crisis on its border, or even a collapse of the regime. That would open the door to the emergence of a unified Korea supported by the US. USA
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The stability of impoverished North Korea concerns not only China and its other immediate neighbors, but the world. A power vacuum would raise questions about who controls their estimated arsenal of enough fissile material for up to 60 nuclear bombs and hundreds of missiles capable of delivering an atomic charge.
Despite being between China, the original epicenter of the virus outbreak, and South Korea, which was briefly one of the most affected countries, North Korea has said it has had no confirmed cases of Covid-19. Some, including the commander of the US Korean forces, have expressed doubts about that claim.
China and South Korea have seen dramatic declines in new infections in recent weeks and are beginning to reopen their economies after massive efforts to contain the virus. North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world, and its outdated medical system could be overwhelmed by a serious Covid-19 outbreak.
North Korea’s KCNA said on Friday that preventive measures are being taken in all regions “against widespread infection with the malignant virus that turns into a global disaster,” adding that the country is storing materials for anti-epidemic efforts and working to develop a vaccine.
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