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Kim Jong Un appears public despite new UN sanctions   

Kim Jong Un appears public despite new UN sanctions   

Posted September. 13, 2017 08:11,   

Updated September. 13, 2017 08:59

한국어
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met teachers at schools in rural villages and on islands and had a photo op with them, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday.

While the global media reported Monday a new set of U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea including a cut on oil exports, the North did not make a comment on this and showed its leader doing his job as usual way. Kim’s appearance among the general public was made first in 84 days after his visit to a factory producing dental hygiene products on June 20.

Some analysts say the North is bluffing by showing that Kim cares about ordinary people as if nothing has happened at a time when the world is paying attention to the new U.N. sanctions.

Experts view that the North will be under significant pressure as an oil supply, the lifeline to the North, has been put on the sanctions list for the first time. “A cut in oil supply could reduce military exercises and also impact transportation in the private sector, which is likely to lead to a negative economic growth in the North again," said Jeong Seong-jang, head of the unification strategy study team of the Sejong Institute.

As North Korea warned stronger provocations several times in case of new U.N. sanctions, the North is highly likely to launch a ballistic missile at a normal angle into the Pacific Ocean. Accordingly to the Japanese Asahi Newspaper on Tuesday, Kim Jong Un ordered his spy agency to prepare for cyberattacks on South Korea, the U.S. and Japan after the passage of the new U.N. sanctions.



In-Chan Hwang hic@donga.com · Won-Jae Jang peacechaos@donga.com