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North Korea’s Kim ramps up show of force as US war on Iran raises stakes

As the war on Iran continues to command global attention, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up his appearances at military events, using drills…

By Samantha Johnson / April 17, 2026
As the war on Iran continues to command global attention, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up his appearances at military events, using drills and missile tests to project confidence at home and defiance abroad.
His heightened visibility suggests that Kim feels more secure in his country’s nuclear deterrence as Washington’s focus is pulled in several directions, analysts say.

Kim has cast himself as increasingly assertive and is distancing himself from the symbolic rituals observed by his father and grandfather before him.

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Koh Yu-hwan, professor emeritus at Dongguk University, said Kim was determined to maintain a strong public profile after the kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the US and Israeli strikes on Iran aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear enrichment programme.

His father Kim Jong-il, by contrast, often retreated to underground bunkers during periods of perceived threat – most notably at the height of tensions with the US during the 2002 nuclear crisis, Koh said.

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“Kim Jong-un is boldly standing up to US threats, displaying confidence in the country’s strategic status backed by its nuclear arsenal,” Koh said, adding that security crises could help Pyongyang tighten internal control.

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