Kim speaks out on NKorea woes

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for waging another “arduous march” to fight severe economic difficulties, for the first time comparing them to a 1990s famine that killed hundreds of thousands.

Kim had previously said his country faces the “worst-ever” situation due to several factors, including the pandemic, U.S.-led sanctions and heavy flooding last summer. But it’s the first time he publicly drew parallel with the deadly famine.

North Korea monitoring groups haven’t detected signs of mass starvation or humanitarian disaster. But Kim’s comments still suggest how seriously he views the current difficulties — which foreign observers say are the biggest test of his nine-year rule.