The Korean peninsula is now divided between democratic South Korea (Republic of Korea or ROK) and Communist North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK). Today North Korea is known as the Hermit Kingdom due to the regime’s self-imposed isolation. News from North Korea is unremittingly negative, mostly about repression, missile tests, and the personality cult of leader Kim Jong Un. However, shortly before Christmas, this headline appeared in Fox News:Kim Jong Un weeps as he calls on North Korean women to have more children to stem birth rate decline. Per NPR:Leader Kim Jong Un's presence on both days of the two-day gathering and his two speeches there implied the North Korean government had important messages to deliver.

Source: The Guardian January 22, 2024 10:40 UTC