North Korean Media on the 11th Releases No Related Reports
Event Gathering Over 700 People, Possible Amid COVID-19 Situation
"Kim Jong-un May Have Feared Infection Like the UK Prime Minister"
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un "guided the mortar fire training of the People's Army corps-level mortar units" ahead of the Supreme People's Assembly scheduled for the 10th, according to Korean Central TV.
There is a possibility that North Korea was unable to hold the Supreme People's Assembly, which it had announced would be held on the 10th, as scheduled. North Korean media usually report on events that took place the previous day the following day, but there was no coverage related to the Supreme People's Assembly in North Korean media on the 11th. There is speculation that the meeting may have been postponed due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
As of the morning of the 11th, state-run media have not released any reports related to the Supreme People's Assembly, which was scheduled to be held in Pyongyang the previous day.
From the first report by the Korean Central News Agency at 6 a.m. until now, there has been no article covering the Supreme People's Assembly.
The Korean Central Broadcasting Station, a radio outlet, did not broadcast any related reports in its 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. news, and the Workers' Party organ newspaper Rodong Sinmun also did not carry any news about the Supreme People's Assembly.
North Korean state media have typically reported the results of the Supreme People's Assembly?the highest state organ under the constitution and equivalent to the regular national assembly in the South?on the evening of the day it was held or by 6 a.m. the following day at the latest, whenever it convened once or twice a year.
Additionally, North Korea usually reported on the gathering of deputies in Pyongyang the day before the Supreme People's Assembly, but there was no such report on the 9th.
This is the first time since Kim Jong-un came to power that the Supreme People's Assembly has not been held on the announced date.
There is speculation that a last-minute suspension or postponement was made in response to the global COVID-19 crisis. Compared to when the meeting was announced last month, the situation worsened with a surge in deaths from COVID-19 in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, making it difficult for North Korean authorities to proceed with an indoor event where deputies from across the country gather.
Jung Sung-jang, head of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, analyzed, "It is presumed that during the temperature checks at the entrance of the meeting hall, a significant number of deputies showed suspicious symptoms, leading to a sudden postponement of the meeting."
He added, "It is also possible that suspicious cases emerged among the provincial deputies who had arrived in Pyongyang earlier."
Jung explained, "Among the Supreme People's Assembly deputies, many are officials working at the Party Central Committee building alongside Chairman Kim Jong-un, and especially the vice chairmen of the Party Central Committee frequently come into contact with Chairman Kim. Therefore, if any deputies are classified as 'medical surveillance subjects,' it would be difficult to completely rule out the possibility that Chairman Kim Jong-un could be infected with COVID-19, similar to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson."
He further diagnosed, "The North Korean leadership, which equates the safety of the supreme leader with the safety of the regime, may have hastily decided to postpone the Supreme People's Assembly."
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery firing competition of the Western Front Combined Unit on the 20th of last month and instructed the strengthening of artillery unit training in accordance with the situation, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 21st. Kim's appearance was revealed by Central TV on the 21st.
The 687 deputies newly elected to the Supreme People's Assembly last March are key cadres forming the foundation of the Kim Jong-un regime and core Workers' Party members loyal to the regime.
Given the poor health environment without sophisticated COVID-19 testing equipment, North Korean authorities likely judged that it would be difficult for deputies stationed across the country to gather in one place.
It is expected that North Korea will monitor the progression of the COVID-19 situation and either postpone the meeting or discuss the agenda of this Supreme People's Assembly through internal communication networks.
The regular session of the Supreme People's Assembly, usually held around April each year, typically establishes the basic principles of national policy such as constitutional and legal amendments, appoints major national officials, and approves the previous year's budget settlement and the current year's budget proposal.
At this meeting, which was scheduled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was anticipated that measures to address worsening public livelihood issues and an increase in the health-related budget would be discussed.
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