North Korea's Kim stresses self-sufficient economy as tensions with South Korea rise

The North later answered an afternoon call, however, without explaining its earlier unresponsiveness, the ministry said

South Korea’s government has said it remains committed to following inter-Korean agreements, and it is considering proposing legislation to ban groups from sending material into North Korea.

KCNA’s report on the 13th political bureau meeting focused on domestic economic issues, including the chemical industry and fertilizer production as “a major thrust front of the national economy.”

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Kim has made an unusually small number of outings in recent months, with his absence from a major holiday prompting speculation about his condition, as Pyongyang has stepped up measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although North Korea says it has no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, South Korea’s main intelligence agency has said an outbreak there cannot be ruled out.