After Crying, Sharing Houses: Kim Jong-un's Persona As A Populist Leader

JAKARTA - The supreme leader of North Korea (North Korea) Kim Jong-un promised to build 25 housewives in the next five years. The promise was the government's response to the recovery of an area that was destroyed by a typhoon some time ago.

Visiting one of the worst-hit areas of the hurricane, across the country, Jong-un expressed regret for residents who have lived in homes that are more than 50 years old. He urged the military to start a more ambitious construction plan.

Trump's visit to the region comes a day after his crying moment in front of the North Korean people a few days ago. At that time, Trump thanked the people of North Korea for their sacrifice. Trump also apologized for not being able to carry North Koreans through the difficult time of COVID-19 properly.

Kim Jong-un's tears conveyed the most striking feelings of how he relied on his "man close to the people" or "man-of-the-people" persona to overcome his country's deepening crisis.

The military has achieved a 60 percent construction rate for about 2,300 houses in the Komdok area of South Hamgyong Province, northeast of the capital, Pyongyang, state media reported.

Jong-un says new houses are now only being built when old ones are torn down by natural disasters. Jong-un also called for a revolution in construction plans, starting with building 25,000 houses during his five-year plan which will be inaugurated in January.

Last week, Kim asked his country to embark on an 80-day "swift struggle" to achieve economic goals before a congress in January to decide on a new five-year plan.

These times have been difficult for North Korea. They have had a tough year due to the impact of anti-coronavirus policies, international sanctions and several typhoons that have hit cities.