It remains unclear how fast North Korea can achieve the ambitious weapons-development goals Kim has set. When North Korea held its last party congress, in 2016, it was the first such gathering in 36 years and was Kim’s major coming-out event as leader. Since taking over his country following the 2011 death of his father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, Kim has accelerated his country’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. Soon afterward, however, North Korea was hit by the pandemic, which forced the country to close borders with China, its primary trading partner. When Kim opened the party congress Tuesday, he conceded that his efforts to rebuild the country’s moribund economy had failed.

Source: bd News24 January 09, 2021 09:45 UTC