SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Last year was a disaster for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who helplessly watched his country’s economy decay amid pandemic border closures while brooding over the collapse of made-for-TV summits with former President Donald Trump that failed to lift sanctions from his country.
Now he must start over with President Joe Biden, who has previously called him a thug and accused Trump of chasing spectacles instead of meaningful reductions of Kim’s nuclear arsenal.
The change of government could see North Korea revert to its old behavior.
It has a history of testing new U.S. administrations with weapons demonstrations aimed at forcing the Americans back to negotiations.
Kim recently paraded new weapons he may test, including missiles designed for submarine launches.
