North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen shedding tears during a recent military parade. According to The Korea Times, the leader is said to have apologized for his ‘failure’ when COVID-19 hit the world.
“Our people have placed trust, as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, in me, but I have failed to always live up to it satisfactorily. I am really sorry for that,” the leader said.
In the video, Kim Jong Un is seen taking off his glasses and wiping away tears before resuming his speech.
The speech was recorded during the 75th-anniversary parade of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
“Although I am entrusted with the important responsibility to lead this country upholding the cause of the great Comrades Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il thanks to the trust of all the people, my efforts and sincerity have not been sufficient enough to rid our people of the difficulties in their lives, “he added.
Analysts believe the speech is a manifestation of the pressure on the regime following the current difficulties facing the country, namely COVID-19, international sanctions, and natural disasters.
“Underneath his message, one can sense that Kim is feeling a lot of pressure on his leadership. During the speech, he used terms like ‘grave challenges,’ ‘countless ordeals’ and ‘disasters unprecedented in history.’ This shows that he is having a really hard time governing, and he feels pressured from worries that his people might be upset or swayed by this kind of difficulty. That is why he put a lot of emphasis on the people in this speech, “kata Hong Min, director of the North Korea division at the Korean Institute for National Unification.
Source: Reuters, The Korean Times, The Telegraph