Kim Jong Un spent the first month of the year making more visits to economic sites than ever before. His visits to food and bedding factories, an appearance at the funeral of a relatively junior official, and his humbling language in his New Year speech – all suggest that the DPRK leadership is trying to establish an image of Kim Jong Un as a benevolent leader who loves his people. At the same time, he also visited military units associated with major attacks against the ROK.

Although the rumored dismissal in January of Minister of State Security Kim