Kim Jong-un’s sister reappeared and threatened US and South Korea

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and seen as a possible successor to power, criticized the military exercises planned by South Korea and the United States and said they could seriously affect the attempts to restore relations between the two Koreas, fueled by the recent reopening of communication channels.

“I am fairly certain that the military exercise, which is taking place at a major turning point, will become an unpleasant prelude which will seriously undermine the will of leaders in the North and South to restore confidence,” Kim said. I Jong, Known to be ruthless, even more so than her brother.

Likewise, he assured that these exercises – which South Korea and the United States are rethinking in the face of the relaxation of relations – “will further obscure the path that awaits us for inter-Korean relations”, and he demanded that Seoul take “a bold decision” and overturn them. Hope or despair? The decision is not ours, ”he said in an article published in the official North Korean news agency KCNA, echoed by his southern counterpart, Yonhap.

The North re-established lines of communication with South Korea on Tuesday after more than a year of suspension to protest anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent from the South. The North Korean leader’s sister warned against hasty reading, starting with rumors of a possible summit. “It would be a premature and reckless trial,” he warned.

“Restoring the lines is nothing more than a physical reconnection and should not be attributed more meaning than it does, because” hasty speculation and unfounded interpretations only lead to disappointment. “

Previously little known to outsiders, Kim Yo-jong has exploded politically since his brother came to power after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in late 2011. The current Kim’s are the third generation in their family to rule Korea. of the North, and his leadership is based on a cult of personality established after his grandfather Kim Il-sung founded the country in 1948. His mythical lineage Paektu – named after the most sacred mountain in the North – allows only direct family members to rule the country.

Kim Yo-jong gained international fame after his brother’s high-risk nuclear diplomacy with former President Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 and 2019. In those meetings, her closeness to Kim Jong-un sparked speculation that she was her brother’s chief of staff.

In South Korea, she built an image of herself as a “messenger of peace” after attending the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, becoming the first member of the ruling family from the North to visiting the South since the end of the Korean War of 1950-1953. . However, last year he abruptly changed course by launching harsh tirades against South Korea and pressuring the United States to make concessions amid stalled nuclear diplomacy.

Now on the same hard line seems to be in charge of relations with South Korea, and outside experts have speculated that it could also handle business with the United States.

Economic crisis

North Korea’s economy registered its biggest decline in 2020 since the deadly famine of the 1990s, due to the coronavirus, natural disasters and international sanctions that have crushed the already difficult state of Kim Jong Un.

Gross domestic product contracted 4.5 percent in 2020, the biggest drop since 1997, according to estimates from the South Korean central bank, which for years provided the best available accounts of economic activity in the secret state.

The report shows that The North Korean economy contracted to its smallest size last year since Kim took office in late 2011. Gross domestic product fell to 31.4 trillion won ($ 27.4 billion) from 33.8 trillion won in Kim’s first year, according to data from South Korea’s central bank published on Friday.

Kim’s decision to close the borders more than a year ago due to the pandemic has brought down trade, slowing the flow with its main benefactor, China. North Korea’s exports fell 67.9% last year to just $ 90 million, while imports fell 73.9%, according to the Bank of Korea report.

The economic slowdown of 2020 is the worst in North Korea since 1997, when a series of droughts, floods and botched economic policies resulted in a famine that is believed to have killed between 240,000 and 3.5 million people. Although the chances of a similar event happening again are much lower as unofficial markets proliferate across the country with the government’s tacit consent, Kim warned last month that the “food situation was getting tense.”

The economy is also unlikely to rebound this year. Fitch Solutions said in April that the North Korean economy would barely grow in 2021, with borders remaining closed.

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