Kim Jong Un sheds tears and speaks of North Korea's hardships at holiday speech



News Kim Jong Un sheds tears and speaks of North Korea’s hardships at holiday speech Speaking at the ruling party's 75th anniversary events, Kim also expressed hopes to "hold hands" with South Korea again Colin Zwirko \| Kelly Kasulis October 10, 2020 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Rodong Sinmun North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked DPRK citizens for “zero” cases of COVID-19 and even shed tears over soldiers’ hard work on recent flood recovery projects. Addressing the nation in a rare speech aired on state television Saturday night, Kim exuded a soft exterior while striking a balance between boasts and honest apologies to the people. He also said that he wishes South Korea a quick recovery over COVID-19 and that he hopes the North and South can “hold hands” sometime in the near future. Kim was speaking before a military parade to commemorate the 75th founding anniversary of © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Kim Jong Un sheds tears and speaks of North Korea’s hardships at holiday speech

Speaking at the ruling party's 75th anniversary events, Kim also expressed hopes to "hold hands" with South Korea again

Colin Zwirko | Kelly Kasulis October 10, 2020

Kim Jong Un sheds tears and speaks of North Korea’s hardships at holiday speech

Rodong Sinmun

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked DPRK citizens for “zero” cases of COVID-19 and even shed tears over soldiers’ hard work on recent flood recovery projects.

Addressing the nation in a rare speech aired on state television Saturday night, Kim exuded a soft exterior while striking a balance between boasts and honest apologies to the people.

He also said that he wishes South Korea a quick recovery over COVID-19 and that he hopes the North and South can “hold hands” sometime in the near future.

Kim was speaking before a military parade to commemorate the 75th founding anniversary of

About the Authors

Colin Zwirko

Colin Zwirko is a Senior Analytic Correspondent for NK News based in Seoul. He joined the company in 2018 after receiving a master's degree in international security and foreign policy from South Korea's Yonsei University. Follow him on Bluesky / Twitter.

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Kelly Kasulis

Kelly Kasulis was the Managing Editor of NK News, based in Seoul. She previously covered North and South Korea for Public Radio International, Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg Industry, Mic and many others. Follow Kelly on Twitter.

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