North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has presided over a meeting of the ruling party in his first public appearance in about a month, calling for a larger political conference to discuss salvaging the country’s decaying economy. North Korea’s battered economy has deteriorated further amid pandemic border closures, which significantly reduced trade with China, its major ally and economic lifeline. US officials have suggested Mr Biden would adopt a middle ground policy between his predecessors — Mr Trump’s direct dealings with Mr Kim, and Barack Obama’s “strategic patience”. During a rare ruling party congress in January, Mr Kim urged his people to be resilient in the struggle for economic self-reliance. Experts say such sectors are crucial to North Korean hopes to revitalise industrial production that has been decimated by sanctions and halted imports of factory materials amid the pandemic.

Source: Irish Independent June 05, 2021 07:07 UTC