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North's Kim logs most public appearances in nine years in 2025

Published: 28 Dec. 2025, 13:07

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending a welcoming ceremony for soldiers from the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People's Army at the plaza of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Dec. 12. [EPA/YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the most public appearances in nine years in 2025, as he increased diplomatic engagement and on-site supervision of the implementation of a five-year national development plan, data showed Sunday.

Kim's public appearances, as reported by North Korea's state media, totaled 118 as of the end of November, according to data from the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Including additional public activities reported by state media between Dec. 1 and 27, the total number rose to 131.

This year's total marks a slight increase from last year's 127 and matches the previous high recorded in 2016.

According to the institute, Kim's public activities have been steadily rising since hitting a low of 55 in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year's result came as Kim sought to broaden his diplomatic landscape, including making his multilateral diplomatic debut, and to step up implementation of the country's five-year development plan, which concludes this year.

Of this year's public activities up to Saturday, 30 involved public ceremonies, 23 were on-site inspections and 21 were military-related events.

Kim made frequent public appearances related to his signature "Regional Development 20 X 10 Policy," visiting construction sites and launch ceremonies for regional factories, hospitals and other facilities built under the policy.

Kim's military-related public activities, recorded at 21 this year, mark a decline from last year's 31.

Notable among Kim's public appearances this year was his headline-grabbing debut on the international diplomatic stage in September, when he attended a large-scale Chinese military parade in Beijing alongside other state leaders.

Kim also held five rounds of summit talks this year, meeting and speaking by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and also holding summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as the leaders of Laos and Vietnam.

Additionally, he publicly met high-level foreign officials and emissaries on a total of 10 occasions, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.

The data showed that Jo Yong-won, a party secretary in charge of organizational matters, most frequently accompanied Kim on public appearances, doing so on 22 occasions, followed by Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, on 19 occasions and Defense Minister No Kwang-chol on 11 occasions.

Yonhap