North Korea appears set to finally open a long-delayed hospital in the capital this year after the country’s top leaders turned their attention to ensuring its completion. The Pyongyang General Hospital project has remained largely stalled for years due to challenges importing medical equipment amid stringent sanctions and self-imposed order restrictions. But after Kim Jong Un claimed last month that the hospital will begin operations this year, it appears the state is once again prioritizing its construction as a major objective.  

State media took aim at the Korean Peninsula’s former ruler Japan, after local Japanese