2021 in North Korea

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Centuries:	20th 21st
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See also:	Other events of 2021 Years in North Korea Timeline of Korean history 2021 in South Korea

Events in the year 2021 in North Korea .

Incumbents

• Party Chairman → Party General Secretary: Kim Jong Un
• Chairman of the State Affairs Commission: Kim Jong Un
• President of the Supreme People's Assembly: Choe Ryong-hae
• Premier: Kim Tok-hun

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

• 4 February – Ri Jae-il, politician, First Deputy Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department (born 1935). ^[4]
• 13 December – Kim Yong-ju, politician and the younger brother of Kim Il Sung (born 1920).

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. 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.