Gazing wistfully out to sea from atop a white horse, Kim Jong Un stars in a new North Korean propaganda video that touts his economic leadership but ignores a recent spate of sanctions-busting missile launches. Pyongyang started the year by conducting a record seven weapons tests, including firing its most powerful missile since 2017, raising fears Kim could restart long-range or nuclear testing.
But the government-produced documentary released this week highlights Kim's struggle to right North Korea's battered economy, which is reeling from a years-long blockade due to the coronavirus and international sanctions.
"The overriding theme of the documentary is Kim's devotion to and hard work for the people," Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow with the 38 North program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, told AFP.
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