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NORTH KOREAN LEADER Kim Jong Un mounted a white horse in an evocative propaganda stunt as his own deadline for US movement on nuclear talks is nearing.
The images in his country’s official media showed a bespectacled Kim, wearing a long, light-brown coat and riding up snow-covered Mount Paektu on horseback.
The location and the animal are symbols associated with the Kim family’s dynastic rule.
The highest point on the Korean Peninsula is sacred to North Koreans, and Kim has visited it before making major decisions such as the 2013 execution of his uncle and his 2018 entrance into diplomacy with Seoul and Washington.
The images and Kim’s comments were released days after his country’s first nuclear negotiations with the US in more than seven months fell apart.
‘The road of arduous struggle’
South Korean media quickly speculated Kim may be considering a new strategy in his dealings with the US because he’s previously demanded Washington come up with new proposals to salvage the stalemated diplomacy by the end of December.
“He, sitting on the horseback atop Mt Paektu, recollected with deep emotion the road of arduous struggle he covered for the great cause of building the most powerful country with faith and will as firm as Mt Paektu,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
North Korean documents say Kim’s grandfather and national founder Kim Il Sung had an anti-Japan guerrilla base on Paektu’s slopes during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
The official biography of Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, said the second-generation leader was born on Paektu when a double rainbow filled the skies.
The white horse is also a propaganda symbol for the Kim family that has ruled North Korea for seven decades with a strong personality cult surrounding family members.
State media have occasionally shown Kim, his sister and his father riding white horses.
The symbolism goes back to Kim Il Sung, who according to the North’s official narrative, rode a white horse while fighting Japanese colonial rulers.
KCNA said Kim also visited nearby construction sites in Samjiyon County and complained about US-led UN sanctions imposed on his country because of its nuclear and missile programmes.
“The situation of the country is difficult owing to the ceaseless sanctions and pressure by the hostile forces and there are many hardships and trials facing us,” Kim was quoted as saying.
“But our people grew stronger through the trials and found their own way of development and learned how to always win in the face of trials.”
Kim also said “the pain the US-led anti-(North Korea) hostile forces inflicted upon the Korean people … turned into their anger”, according to KCNA.
“No matter what persistent efforts the enemy make, we can live well with our own efforts and pave the avenue to development and prosperity in our own way.”
North Korea has been slapped with a total of 11 rounds of sanctions since 2006.
The sanctions have been toughened since 2016 when Kim began conducting a series of high-profile nuclear and missile tests, and they include a full ban on key exports such as coal, textiles and seafood and a significant curtailing of oil imports.
During his second summit with President Donald Trump in Vietnam in February, Kim demanded the United States lift the newer and more biting sanctions in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearisation step.
Trump rejected that, and the summit collapsed without reaching any deal.
The two leaders held a brief, impromptu meeting at the Korean border in late June and agreed to resume talks.
Their negotiators met in Stockholm earlier this month for the first time since the Vietnam summit but the talks broke down again.
North Korea blamed the US for the talks’ breakdown and threatened to resume nuclear and long-range missile tests.
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Great to hear that small to medium firms could deliver 20,000 jobs however these small companies need to be paid on time for the services they provide and until legislation is in place to protect them the 20,000 jobs will be lost instead of created.
Spin the year out……could , should, would………
3 point plan . Every bit as good as the Famous 5 point plan .
Yet you let the council increase rates by 100% which is closing down loads of business and creating mass losses in jobs then Kenny the coward ignores his promise to remove upwardly only rents. Why do people put up with these liars. Pure s.c.u.m
Best not to hold one’s breath on job creation. This government is already the worst in living memory -YES- and that includes the last one. They have broken every commitment, displayed unseemly incompetence and cowardice and are devoid of any leadership qualities. They are now pussyfooting with the next €3billion promissory note payment due in February. Taoiseach Kenny is a laughing stock all over Europe. Does anyone really believe the economy will grow and create jobs under this government. The SFA is just a lapdog for IBEC. It should break away from its powerful masters and begin to see the wood from the trees. It’s very masters in IBEC have driven Ireland’s cost base into the stratosphere not to mention its role in the banking collapse – the two principle impediments to job creation. Get a life SFA.
20,000 jobs possibly(these people seldom do pessimistic forecasting).
80-100k emigrating, no figures for increasing disemployment due to austerity, and half a million already wasting away on breadlines to soupkitchens.
This is the ‘government’s’ economic plan?
They could but will they very very unlikely with austerity at the heart of irish policy. Just more BS from government.
The domestic economy is in ruins. If you disagree you are either a blue shirt or in denial. I want this country to escape the gloom but lets be honest so far we are not doing a good job of it.
Well I think these guys should take a walk down any street in the country and see the state of retail Ireland not to mention the business parks etc. it’s not a pretty sight, I genuinely fear for the future of Ireland as one of our every growing population of ex pats…
Would it not be quicker to get DPD to deliver the jobs rather than waiting for these small businesses to get set up .. Surely DPD know the best routes by now …. Eh oh right
I do apologise for my apparent lack of humour … Or do 21 people work for fastway maybe …
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