North Korea's Kim Jong Un Visits Kim Il Sung University, Remains Silent on Landmine Incident

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, has made his first public appearance since the South Korean military announced interim investigation findings indicating that an explosion in the western front of the DMZ was likely caused by a North Korean landmine.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that General Secretary Kim visited Kim Il Sung University on September 30, which marked its 80th founding anniversary, where he delivered a speech and attended a performance.

In his speech, General Secretary Kim set forth tasks for Kim Il Sung University, stating, "Building a power in education, a power in science and technology, and a power in talent are the three essential requirements and the basic guarantee for the development of our style of socialism advocated by our party today."

KCNA reported that faculty members, students, alumni, as well as foreigners and overseas compatriots attending an international academic symposium, were present at the event.

General Secretary Kim, however, remained silent regarding the landmine incident and focused on domestic messaging.

The current dynamic appears to be that his sister, Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, steps forward to deliver external messages, while Kim himself, as the supreme leader, remains silent for now.

In a statement released yesterday (September 30), Vice Director Kim flatly denied responsibility, characterizing the landmine explosion as Seoul's "clear staged drama."

(Photo: KCNA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.