NKorea’s Kim vows to boost military, maintain virus curbs

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to further bolster his military capability, maintain draconian anti-virus measures and push hard to improve the economy during a speech at a key political conference this week. A state media report on Saturday on Kim’s speech during the five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party didn’t carry any specific comments on dealings with the U.S. and South Korea. Experts say this suggests that Kim has no interest in resuming talks with Washington and Seoul anytime soon and would rather keep his country’s borders closed while seeking a stronger self-reliant economy to overcome pandemic-related difficulties.