JAKARTA - The supreme leader of North Korea (North Korea), Kim Jong-un, shed tears as he apologized for his failure to bring the country through difficult times exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pressure for his regime was increasing.
Jong-un spoke at a large military parade being held over the weekend to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Labor Party. Kim Jong-un took off his glasses and wiped away the tears. Analysts read the gesture as an indication of increasing pressure on his regime.
"Our people have placed faith, sky-high and sea-deep in me. But I have failed to always fulfill that satisfactorily," said Kim Jong-un, according to a translation from the Korea Times. "I'm very sorry for that."
Quoting his grandfather and father - who are the two leaders of North Korea, Jong-un continued: Although I was entrusted with the important responsibility of leading this country by upholding the goals of the great comrades of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, thank you for the trust of everyone, the people, my efforts and my sincerity are not enough to rid people of trouble in their life.
Meanwhile, the parade in Pyongyang also featured the launch of new intercontinental ballistic missiles and other military hardware. But analysts say Kim Jong-un has used most of his speeches to sympathize with the North Korean people. The speech was peppered with ominous words, such as "formidable challenge," "countless trials" and "unprecedented disaster."
North Korea sees trade with China falling dramatically due to borders in response to the pandemic, although Pyongyang insists it has not recorded a single case in its country. Years of international sanctions in response to North Korea's nuclear program, coupled with the damage caused by natural disasters, have only added to the dictator's predicament.
Despite the presence of troops, missiles, tanks and other evidence of North Korea's growing military strength, Jong-un offers support to people around the world who are suffering from COVID-19. On this occasion Jong-un also voiced hopes for an improvement in relations with South Korea (South Korea).
South Korea has previously said it is concerned that the parade looks set to feature its latest long-range ballistic missiles. South Korea's Foreign Ministry asked North Korea to continue denuclearization talks.
In his speech, Kim Jong-un also warned that he would "fully mobilize" its nuclear power if threatened. Even so, North Korea said it would avoid direct criticism of the United States (US).
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