As North Korea's dictator marks a milestone on Friday, he might be facing his toughest moment yet, as crushing sanctions, the pandemic and growing economic trouble converge
NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Wilson Center senior fellow Jean Lee about North Korea acknowledging a tense food situation and how flooding, sanctions and other issues are adding to the problem.
Earlier this week, the U.S. and other leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations issued a statement calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to talks.
Kim Jong Un calls for the country to prepare for another "arduous march" — using a phrase that has come to describe the disastrous and prolonged food shortages of the '90s.
Kim Jong Un calls for beefing up his country's nuclear and military capabilities, but appears to be leaving open the possibility for negotiation with the incoming Biden administration.
Kim's comments come just days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Biden has promised "principled diplomacy" with North Korea, implying a break with Trump's high-stakes summits.
South Korean lawmakers say intelligence officials briefed them on the North's tough pandemic rules, including a Pyongyang lockdown and an execution of an official caught breaking restrictions.
Pyongyang says an unidentified man was found in North Korean waters and that he murmured he was from South Korea but then stopped responding to soldiers' questions and appeared to try to flee.
