【Internal Affairs】
From July 8 to 13, the North Korean media reported Kim Jong Un’s public activities as follows: Kim 1) paid his respects to Kim Il Sung at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the death of Kim Il Sung, 2) watched a music and dance performance to mark the successful test-firing of the Hwasong-14 ICBM, 3) participated in a party to celebrate the successful test-firing, 4) awarded party and state commendations to those who were instrumental in the successful test-firing of the Hwasong-14 and delivered a speech, and 5) posed for a commemorative photo with them.
On July 13, the North Korean media reported that an event for prevention of malaria was held on the occasion of Malaria Day.
【Inter-Korean Affairs】
On July 10, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Consultative Council for National Reconciliation, in a statement, condemned the conservative Liberty Korea Party of South Korea and instigated a campaign against the conservatives.
On July 13, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the North Side Headquarters of the Nationwide Special Committee for Probing the Truth behind the GIs’ Crimes, in a statement, denounced the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the ROK and the US (concluded on July 9, 1966) as a modern slave document and instigated a campaign against the US.
【Foreign Affairs】
On July 13, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters, said that other countries including Russia had rejected the US Department of State’s 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report and denounced the US.
On July 14, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters, blasted the UN Security Council for declaring sanctions on North Korea regarding the test-firing of the Hwasong-14.
On July 14, the North Korean media reported that a spokesman for the Panmunjom mission of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), in a statement, condemned the relocation of the Eighth US Army to Pyeongtaek and threatened that the US army base, the primary target, cannot avoid the North’s ruthless attack.
