[ad_1]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shed tears when he issued a rare apology for failing to guide the country through tumultuous times exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak.
At a large military parade held over the weekend to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, Kim removed his glasses and wiped away tears, an indication, analysts say, of mounting pressure on his regime.
“Our people have placed their trust in me, as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, but I have not always been able to fulfill it satisfactorily,” he said, according to a translation of his comments in the Korea Times. “I’m really sorry about that.”
Quoting his grandfather and father, the two former leaders of North Korea, Kim continued: “Although I have been entrusted with the important responsibility of leading this country defending the cause of great comrades Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il thanks to the trust of all the people, my efforts and sincerity have not been enough to free our people from the difficulties in their lives ”.
While the parade in the capital Pyongyang featured the expected unveiling of a new ICBM and other military equipment, analysts said that Kim had used a considerable part of his speech to sympathize with the North Korean people.
The speech was peppered with ominous words such as “grave challenges”, “countless ordeals” and “unprecedented disasters,” according to media reports.
North Korea has seen trade with China, by far its largest economic partner, drop dramatically due to border closures in response to the pandemic, though Pyongyang insists it has not recorded a single case of the virus.
Years of international sanctions in response to Kim’s nuclear and missile programs, in addition to the damage caused by natural disasters, have only increased its difficulties.
“It is important to see why he has come to shed tears on such an occasion,” Hong Min, director of the North Korea division at the Korean Institute for National Unification, told the Korea Times. “Underneath his message, one can feel that Kim feels a lot of pressure on his leadership.”
Despite the presence of troops, missiles, tanks, and other evidence of North Korea’s growing military power, Kim offered support to people around the world suffering as a result of Covid-19 and expressed hope for an improvement in the ties with South Korea.
South Korea said it was concerned that the parade appeared to have included a new long-range ballistic missile, and the Foreign Ministry called on Pyongyang to resume denuclearization talks.
Kim warned in his speech that he would “fully mobilize” his nuclear force if threatened, but avoided direct criticism of Washington.
A US official said it was “disappointing” that North Korea continued to prioritize the development of nuclear and ballistic missiles while talks with the United States remained stalled, and urged Pyongyang to “engage in sustained and substantive negotiations to achieve complete denuclearization.” .
