Kim Jong Un Reappears After Month-Long Absence, Health Concern as North Korea Joins Hypersonic Arms Race

Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, made his first public appearance in over a month, visiting a new state-developed alpine metropolis branded as a "model" communist "utopia," as he seeks to secure his legacy amid severe food shortages.

Kim's journey to the northern city of Samjiyon, which was announced in state media on Tuesday, comes as he enters his tenth year as leader of a country, cut off from the rest of the world since the coronavirus outbreak began.

With its ski slopes, commercial and medical facilities and housing for tens of thousands of people, the city on China's border paints a totally different picture than a country beset by great poverty.

Kim Jong Un visits "model rural city"

Per the Washington Post, experts say Samjiyon is a big economic initiative planned by Pyongyang to demonstrate that the country is flourishing despite international sanctions over its nuclear program.

Kim claimed that the city's structures symbolize the "lofty allegiance, powerful will, and sweat of our people," as well as North Korea's "iron will" to "achieve prosperity our own way," according to the regime's official Korean Central News Agency.

The city lies close to Mount Paektu, which is revered as the birthplace of North Korea and from which the Kim family claims descent. It was supposed to be finished by last year's 75th anniversary of the country's ruling Workers' Party, but the pandemic hampered work.

Kim's visit coincided with the completion of the final phase of construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. "As Kim Jong Un approaches his 10-year anniversary, this is all about consolidating his legacy," said Jean H. Lee, a Korea expert at the Wilson Center. "Kim wants to bolster the illusion that he is carrying out a divine mandate to govern."

Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, has recently been the target of health-related speculations. Kim hasn't been seen in public since last month, when he delivered an address at a defense exhibition. On Tuesday, official media claimed that he had visited the building site of a new city near the Chinese border.

North Korea has not provided an official reason for Kim's absence. His disappearances from official media have sparked speculation about his health and location in the past, as per Express.co.

North Korea joins hypersonic missile race

Last month, South Korea's spy service claimed that Kim was in good health. Kim vanished from public view for many weeks in April 2020. His disappearance sparked rumors that he was recuperating from heart surgery, had acquired COVID-19, or had died. Regardless, the North Korean leader reappeared in state media reporting, putting a stop to speculations of his illness.

North Korea declared the launch of a hypersonic missile in September, possibly placing the Hermit Kingdom on the verge of deploying one of the world's most advanced offensive weapon categories.

According to official media agency KCNA, the new missile, designated the Hwasong-8, is a major priority under the country's five-year military development program. The phrase "strategic" was used by North Korean authorities to describe the new weapon, implying that the Hwasong-8 is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The missile's parameters are unknown at this time. The lone photo accompanying the testing shows, but does not prove, that the Hwasong-8 is a hypersonic boost-glide vehicle (HGV) system, according to analysts. HGVs are one of two types of hypersonic missiles, with hypersonic cruise missiles being the other.

HGVs are launched from a conventional rocket booster before detaching and gliding toward their destination. Experts say these missiles are extremely difficult to intercept due to their extreme speed and unpredictable flight path.

While the Hwasong-8 made the news on Wednesday, the KCNA article disclosed another "bombshell" that might just be as significant. North Korea's hypersonic goals have been in the works for years, National Interest reported.