North Korea may be reeling from its worst economic shock in decades, as heavy rains have inflicted widespread devastation on a country already suffering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.… Read the rest
After months of denying that it had any cases of Covid-19 in the country, the North Korean government convened an emergency meeting on Saturday, 28 July to announce that it would introduce an elevated state of emergency, claiming that a former defector to South Korea had returned and was infected.… Read the rest
South Korean President Moon Jae-in marked the seventieth anniversary of the start of the Korean War on Thursday, 25 June, by calling for peace with North Korea but warning that the South Korean military would respond firmly to threats from the North.… Read the rest
● North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s health remains the subject of rumor and speculation after not being seen in public since 11 April.
● North Korea’s neighbors claim that they have not seen anything unusual, but this is no guarantee of Kim’s health.… Read the rest
● Rumors of Kim Jong Un’s incapacitation are unlikely to be true, but a succession crisis would be a major security risk in Northeast Asia.
● The risk is heightened by ongoing tensions between the US and South Korea, which have been unable to agree on hostnation support for US forces, and broader concerns about US military readiness.… Read the rest
