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When North Korea reported that Kim Jong-un reappeared after a 20-day absence, they did not reveal where the leader was when everyone speculated on his health.
Rather than explain why Kim was mysteriously absent for three weeks, North Korea’s state media only released photos and videos showing him guiding attendees to attend the inauguration of a fertilizer plant in Suchon on 1/5.
Although there are still many unclear things about Kim’s health, the image of him smiling at the event sent a clear message: Kim is the supreme leader who fully controls the effort to improve. The country’s food security faces economic difficulties due to sanctions, in the context of Covid-19.
Kim Jong-un attended the opening of a fertilizer factory in Sunchon, North Korea, on May 1. Photos: KCNA.
On May 2, the party newspaper Rodong Sinmun turned three of six pages praising Kim Jong-un’s leadership, saying that it helped the country to “prosperity, self-sufficiency and resistance.”
The new fertilizer factory is the result of Mr. Kim’s vision: to build a modern factory to support agricultural production and advance automation of the chemical industry, the official Labor Party official. Pak Pong-ju said at the opening ceremony.
The United Nations imposed a series of sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear weapons and missile programs, which have often struggled with food shortages. The problem is exacerbated by a prolonged drought, prompting Pyongyang to issue a warning about the risk of widespread famine.
“Agricultural production is a top priority because it directly affects the lives of the Korean people,” said Koh Yu-hwan, president of the National Unification Institute of Korea, a research center of the Korean government. said
Koh said Kim’s sudden “disappear” and then an unexpected resurgence were part of the strategy. “became the attention of the world public without the need for nuclear or missile tests. “
However, the Suchon fertilizer plant may not simply be an agricultural facility. During construction in June 2017, it received a lot of attention from North Korean leaders, with many visits from Prime Minister Kim Jae-ryong and Pak Pong-ju, Kim’s deputy to the Commissioner. Korea Department of State.
International observers say the plant is part of a secret effort to extract uranium for use in nuclear weapons, as it could be a by-product of fertilizer production. The California-based Non-Proliferation Study Center, published this month, reports that there is evidence that the plant is involved in uranium mining, in line with a vigorous search policy. economic and military power of Mr. Kim.
North Korea uses the plant because it is cost-effective and can easily hide uranium enrichment to build nuclear weapons, according to the report.
A series of health rumors arose during Kim’s absence. Kim Jong-un’s re-export made the United States and neighboring countries like Korea, Japan and China “breathe a sigh of relief.”.
If Kim’s health declines, instability may take place in North Korea, refugees may try to flee to China, South Korea or take a ship to Japan, said David Maxwell, an expert at the Bao Organization. Democrats, a research center in Washington, said.
“The issue of weapons of mass destruction is also a concern,” he added. North Korea is believed to possess not only nuclear weapons but also biochemical weapons. “It is clear that we do not want in times of instability, their nuclear weapons are sent to terrorist organizations or countries hostile to the United States.”
According to a recent estimate by Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University professor who has visited various nuclear facilities in North Korea, the country owns between 2,500 and 5,000 tons of chemical weapons.
Although countries are unhappy with Kim Jong-un’s many actions, North Korea’s risk of instability at a time when the world is busy battling Covid-19 “makes all the neighbors expect him to be all right.” S. Paul Choi, a former US military strategist in South Korea, said.
Phương Vũ (The O Reuters / WSJ)
