A new North Korean biography of Kim Jong Un mentions Kim's summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump (R) but makes no references to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. File Photo from Pool TV/UPI | License Photo
March 1 (UPI) -- North Korea published a 621-page biography of Kim Jong Un that highlighted nuclear weapons development and the U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore but downplayed the role of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
North Korean propaganda service Uriminzokkiri on Sunday published the entire book for public viewing in an article that claimed Kim was a "great man" who ushered in an era of great power for the regime.
The hardcover publication from Pyongyang Publishing included sections on Kim's defense policy and diplomacy, the economy, society and culture.
"Nearly 10 years have passed since Marshal Kim Jong Un was recognized as supreme leader," Uriminzokkiri said. "In these quickly passing days, the republic has risen to distant heights."
Kim's early years were marked by isolation and refusal to meet with U.S. negotiators.
The book, first published Dec. 30, cited Kim's summit with former President Donald Trump as the greatest achievement, with 15 pages devoted exclusively to the 2018 Singapore Summit and the informal summit with Trump at Panmunjom in 2019, according to South Korean paper Herald Business.
"Courtesy of our Marshal [Kim], the powerhouse of the century, the political perception and dynamics of the international community are undergoing transformation," the North Korean book said.
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The book, which includes no photographs, made no mention of Moon. The South Korean president has been credited with persuading Trump to meet with Kim in 2018, and met with Kim at Panmunjom in April 2018 before Trump had committed to a summit.
According to Herald Business, the book did briefly mention the September Pyongyang Joint Declaration -- an inter-Korean statement signed in 2018.
North Korea remains isolated amid the pandemic, but international aid groups say assistance continues despite recent reports.
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Steve Taravella, a senior spokesman for the World Food Program, said last week that the agency has not stopped delivering aid to North Korea, Ethnic Media Services reported Sunday.
The WFP had previously said in a revision to its North Korea Strategic Plan that "residual risk" remains and operations could be suspended in 2021.
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