North Korean leader Kim Jong-un carried out 92 publicly reported activities in the first half of this year, nearly double the 50 recorded during the same period last year, according to an analysis of state media reports.
The figure marks Kim’s busiest first half since 2014, when he made 93 public appearances, and the third-highest tally since he took power in 2012, after 105 in the first half of 2013. His public activities had declined sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, bottoming out at 21 in the first half of 2020, before gradually rebounding.
Military-related appearances accounted for 30 of Kim’s public activities from January to June, the highest first-half figure since he assumed power, according to data based on reports by the Korean Central News Agency and the Korea Institute for National Unification’s database.
Kim’s military appearances reached an annual high of 49 in 2024 and stayed above 40 last year.
According to local analysts, Kim appears to be using military achievements to project North Korea’s strategic standing amid shifting regional dynamics, including closer ties with Russia and improved relations with China.
Kim also attended 19 public events in the first half of 2025, the highest figure for the period since he took office. The tally was partly boosted by separate counts of banquets and luncheons linked to summit diplomacy, but even excluding those, his event attendance was still the highest for any first half of the year.
His other activities included seven on-site inspections, seven commemorative photo sessions and seven performances or viewings. He also attended six political meetings and made five simple visits or congratulatory appearances.
Kim held two summits during the period, meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s visit to Pyongyang in June and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in March.
Many of Kim’s public events involved groundbreakings or completion ceremonies for major construction projects, suggesting an effort to highlight achievements before and after a party congress in February.
Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, appeared in 19 state media reports on her father’s public activities in the first half, already exceeding her 17 appearances for all of last year. She most frequently accompanied him to military-related events, appearing 11 times in that category.
Kim Ju-ae was first seen in public in November 2022 at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Since then, she has appeared around a dozen times a year alongside Kim, but her exposure has risen sharply this year.
Analysts, however, cautioned against drawing firm conclusions about succession based solely on the increased appearances.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com
