Kim Jong-un cried during his televised address to the North Korean people, as he begged for forgiveness over failures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
The Supreme Leader was speaking to the nation during his commemorative speech to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea when he became emotional.
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According to reports, Kim spent around a third of his speech apologising to the country and stating that he sympathised with the hardships they have had to endure over recent months.
At one point he even removed his glasses to wipe tears from his eyes.
He said: "Our people have placed trust, as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, in me, but I have failed to always live up to it satisfactorily. I am really sorry for that.
"Although I am entrusted with the important responsibility to lead this country, upholding the cause of the great Comrades Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il; thanks to the trust of all the people, my efforts and sincerity have not been sufficient enough to rid our people of the difficulties in their lives."
Kim called on the government and military to work harder to improve the country's situation.
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He said: "I will ensure that all Party organisations, the government and power and military organs make more and more strict demands on themselves, direct strenuous efforts and work with sincerity for our people and for bringing a better tomorrow to them."
The 36-year-old also extended his compassion to other countries around the world that have suffered during recent months.
He added: "Availing myself of this opportunity, I offer my heartfelt consolation to all those around the world who are still combating the disease caused by the malignant virus, and do hope from the bottom of my heart that health, happiness and laughter of all people would be guaranteed."
Speaking to The Korea Times, Hong Min, director of the North Korea division at the Korean Institute for National Unification, said it's clear Kim was trying to rebuild the trust of the people.
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Hong said: "It is important to look at why he has come to shed tears at such an occasion.
"Underneath his message, one can sense that Kim is feeling a lot of pressure on his leadership. During the speech, he used terms like 'grave challenges', 'countless ordeals' and 'disasters unprecedented in history'.
"This shows that he is having a really hard time governing, and he feels pressured from worries that his people might be upset or swayed by this kind of difficulty.
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"That is why he put a lot of emphasis on the people in this speech."
Hong added: "At the end of the speech, he calls on the people to extend their full support and trust in him. From this we can see at that he feels bad about the struggles of the people, but he also feels a lot of burden and stress from the situation and is highly concerned about the stability of his regime."
During the parade, the North Korean military also showed off new type of ICBM that is said to be capable of reaching the US mainland.
Featured Image Credit: Paektusan Revolutionary ArmyTopics: military, World News, Coronavirus, Politics, Health, North Korea