Kim Jong-un gave a speech to the public at a party conference earlier this week, during which he told North Koreans to prepare for hard times ahead. He likened the current situation to the devastating 1990s famine, which is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of North Koreans. North Korea’s borders remain shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and its trade with China has come to a halt, threatening its economic stability.
The situation is worsened by international economic sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear program. The speech gave a rare admission of looming hardship. Kim Jong-un called on officials to fight together against the struggles to relieve the North Korean people of some difficulty. According to a North Korean analyst, Colin Zwirko, although it is not unusual for the North Korean leader to talk about struggles, the language in this speech was different and stark.
Read More: Kim Jong-un warns of North Korea crisis similar to deadly 90s famine
