Kim Jong Un Keeps World Guessing With New Year’s Speech Surprise
- North Korean leader trade televised address for party meeting
- Programming switch bolsters Kim’s unpredictable reputation
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North Koreans and outside observers expecting leader Kim Jong Un to make his traditional address on New Year’s morning instead were handed a new script that enhanced his unpredictable image.
North Korea opened 2020 by issuing a “Report on the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers,” an almost 4,400-word text that outlined what Kim had to say after a rare and lengthy meeting of the ruling party that started in the final days of December. There was no speech as of afternoon local time and the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency said there was no indication that one would be coming.