Foreign Journalists in North Korea Told to Prepare for 'Big' Event

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Foreign journalists visiting North Korea have been told to prepare for a “big and important event” on Thursday, although there were no indications it was directly linked to tensions in the region over the isolated state’s nuclear weapons program, reported Reuters.

On Wednesday, North Korean officials told foreign journalists in Pyongyang invited to mark the national holiday that their schedule had been canceled, and to instead meet early on Thursday to prepare for a “big and important event”. Close to 200 journalists are in the reclusive country’s capital, Reuters writes.

The tensions between the US and North Korea have many worrying as to what the “event” may be. After all, a there is a U.S. Navy strike group steaming toward the western Pacific in a show of force and North Korea has been warning of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of American aggression, explained Reuters.

Officials gave no details as to the nature of the event or where it would take place, and similar announcements in the past have been linked to relatively low-key set pieces, the report said.

Reuters has explained that Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a peaceful resolution to the North Korean problem in a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Visits from foreign media are a rare spectacle inside of North Korea. They are done with extreme control from the host nation and there are security checks at events attended by leader Kim Jong Un.

Officials gave no details as to the nature of the event or where it would take place, and similar announcements in the past have been linked to relatively low-key set pieces, said Reuters.