2021 in North Korea

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See also:Other events of 2021
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2021 in South Korea

Events in the year 2021 in North Korea.

Incumbents

Events

  • January 4, 2021 – North Korea submitted an application to secure coronavirus vaccines through a global program that assisted low-income countries.[1]
  • From 5 January – The 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.[2]
  • January 8, 2021 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to work on inter-Korean relations to expand diplomatic engagement and hosted a rare party congress.[1]
  • 10 January – 8th Congress congress restored the operative functions of the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, a title previously awarded "eternally" to Kim Jong Il, and elected Kim Jong Un to it.
  • On January 14, a military parade took place in Kim Il-sung Square in which ballistic missiles were revealed, after a Workers' Party of Korea meeting was held by Kim Jong Un to oppose growing "US hostility." The Korean Central News Agency announced that the nuclear weapons showcased could “pre-emptively and completely destroy any enemy outside of our territory”.[3]
  • March 25, 2021 – North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, the first missile test to happen during the United States' Biden administration.[1]
  • June 15, 2021 – At a Central Committee Plenary Session, Kim Jong-un publicly acknowledged a “tense food situation” caused by floods and the pandemic, and ordered stronger efforts in agriculture and rural management.[1]
  • September 11, 2021 – North Korea tested a new long-range cruise missile. State media claimed it traveled 1,500 kilometers and described it as a "strategic weapon" with potential nuclear capability.[1]
  • October 4, 2021 – North Korea announced it would reactivate all communication lines with South Korea after urging Seoul to make “positive” efforts to restore ties. The decision came days after Kim Jong-un expressed an intention during a policy speech to reopen the hotlines in early October.[1]
  • November 5, 2021 – A United Nations report found that more than four in ten North Koreans were suffering from undernourishment, as the country continued to face chronic food shortages.[1]
  • November 6, 2021 – North Korea launched a major crackdown to root out foreign culture, primarily from South Korea, as well as “capitalist tendencies,” including corruption.[1]
  • December 13, 2021 – South Korea, North Korea, China, and the United States agreed “in principle” to declare a formal end to the Korean War, nearly 70 years after the conflict ended in an armistice, according to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.[1][A]
  • December 27, 2021 – Kim Jong-un declared 2022 the “Year of Rural Development,” focusing on farming and regional industry, and reiterated the need for self-reliance amid sanctions and prolonged border closures.[1]

Deaths

Notes

  1. ^ Although on December 13, 2021, South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., and China reportedly agreed “in principle” to a formal end-of-war declaration, progress stalled. By year’s end, Seoul and Washington had drafted a joint declaration, but Pyongyang declined substantive participation. The agreement remained largely symbolic, lacking concrete commitments or sequencing mechanisms, and subsequent years saw continued military escalation and diplomatic impasse.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Buixadé Farré, Albert; DeCordre, Marina (October 1, 2025), 2021 Year in Review – North Korea and the World: A Year in Headlines (PDF), Washington, D.C., United States: Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, doi:10.69981/4772, ISBN 978-1-959391-12-8, archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-10-01
  2. ^ "(2nd LD) N.K. leader vows to boost defense capabilities at party congress". Yonhap News Agency. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  3. ^ "North Korea rolls out submarine-launched missiles at military parade". TheGuardian.com. 15 January 2021.
  4. ^ "N. Korean Propaganda Official Ri Jae-il Dies at Age 86". world.kbs.co.kr. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
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