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Events of 2020 in North Korea.
Incumbents
- Party Chairman and State Chairman: Kim Jong-un
- President of the Supreme People's Assembly: Choe Ryong-hae
- Premier: Kim Jae-ryong (until 13 August), Kim Tok-hun (from 13 August)
Events
January
- In Late January, North Korea closes its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
March
- In early March, according to South Korean media outlet Daily NK, 180 soldiers of the Korean Military had died causing speculation on if the deaths were a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
- In March, North Korea launches several missile tests.[3]
- On March 30, the 2020 Summer Olympics in which North Korean athletes were expected to compete in were postponed to summer of 2021 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
April
- On April 12, Kim Jong Un was reported by Daily NK to have undergone cardiovascular surgery.
- On April 15, North Korea celebrates Day of the Sun. Kim Jong Un is missing from the ceremony.
- On April 21, CNN reports U.S. agencies monitoring intelligence from North Korea said Kim's post-surgery state was in "grave danger".[5]
June and July
- On June 15, North Korea demolished a South Korean and North Korean liaison office building located in Kaesong after tensions between North and South Korea rise.[6]
- July 26 – The city of Kaesong is placed under total lockdown after a person is found with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. This is the first suspected case in the country.[7]
October
On October 10, North Korea unveiled the missile Hwasong-16.[8]
Deaths
January
- January 17 – Hwang Sun-hui, North Korean politician, director of the Korean Revolution Museum. (b. 1919)[9]
April
- April 9 – Won Pyong-oh, South Korean zoologist, born in North Korea and escaped during the Korean War, son of Won Hong-gu. (b. 1929)
June
- June 9 – Kim Chang-sop, former Vice minister of the Ministry of State Security up until his death. (b. 1949)
July
- July 10 – Paik Sun-yup, North Korean born, South Korean military officer. (b. 1920)
References
- ^ Herskovitz, Jon; Lee, Jihye (January 21, 2020). "North Korea Bars Foreign Tourists Amid Virus Threat, Groups Say". Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: nearly 200 North Korea soldiers 'die from outbreak government refuses to acknowledge'". South China Morning Post. Business Insider. March 10, 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Panda, Ankit (March 30, 2020). "North Korea Conducts 4th Missile Test in March 2020". The Diplomat. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "IOC, IPC, TOKYO 2020 ORGANISING COMMITTEE AND TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCE NEW DATES FOR THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. March 20, 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ Sciutto, Jim; Berlinger, Joshua; Seo, Yoonjung; Atwood, Kylie; Cohen, Zachary (April 21, 2020). "US monitoring intelligence that North Korean leader is in grave danger after surgery". CNN. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "North Korea blows up liaison office, says it will cut off communications with the South". CBC.ca. CBC. June 16, 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ "N. Korea puts border city in lockdown over suspected Covid-19 outbreak". France 24. 26 July 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ "North Korea unveils 'monster' new intercontinental ballistic missile at parade". Reuters. 10 October 2020.
- ^ 김정은, 리설주 여사와 빈소 찾아 조문 故 황순희, 김일성·김정숙 등과 항일운동 (in Korean)
Further reading
- Delury, John (2021). "North Korea in 2020: In Search of Health and Power". Asian Survey. 61 (1): 74–82. doi:10.1525/as.2021.61.1.74. ISSN 0004-4687. S2CID 234041504.
- Ri, Yong Ok (2021). 2020: A Year of Trials and Struggle (PDF). Translated by Cha, Kwang Hyok; Sung, Hye Gyong. DPRK Korea: Foreign Languages Publishing House. ISBN 978-9946-0-2010-5.
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