North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a total of 92 public appearances in the first half of this year, up 64% from the same period last year, South Korea's Ministry of Unification said. Analysts attribute the increase to a series of large-scale political events in North Korea, including the ninth party congress, as well as Kim's intensive diplomatic activities centered on Russia and China.
"Chairman Kim's public activities in the first half totaled 92, broken down by field into 40 military, 22 political, 12 economic, 10 socio-cultural, and 8 external activities," a Ministry of Unification official said at the Government Complex Seoul on the 9th. Kim's public appearances in the first half represent a 64% increase from the same period last year (56 appearances).
"This reflects large-scale political events early in the year, including the ninth party congress and the Supreme People's Assembly, a focus on achievements in the defense sector, and active external engagement concentrated on North Korea-China and North Korea-Russia relations," the official said.
Meanwhile, regarding the Korean Central News Agency's criticism of South Korea-Japan military cooperation issued under the name of Kang Chol-su, a director at the Institute for Enemy State Studies (Daejeok Yeonguwon), the official said, "We assess this as a response in a similar vein to previous criticisms of South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation — a lower-level reaction issued under the name of a research institute rather than the Foreign Ministry, merely noting the issue in passing."
The official added, "The Institute for Enemy State Studies is a research institution presumed to be the former Institute for National Reunification," and explained, "It first appeared on November 3, 2024, when it criticized the final investigation results of our Ministry of National Defense on the Pyongyang drone incident through an Institute for Enemy State Studies white paper."
