April 2021 marked the three-year anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in a more hopeful time for diplomacy.

Earlier this month, North Korea announced that it will not attend the Tokyo Olympics this summer due to COVID-19 concerns, squashing Seoul’s hopes to use it as a platform for renewed talks amid an ongoing diplomatic standstill.

Meanwhile in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un told the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea to brace of hardship, referencing the deadly 1990s “Arduous March” famine in the process