North Korea's Kim Jong-Un breaks down in tears and apologises for 'failures' during military parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has broken down in tears and apologised to his people during a military parade in Pyongyang.

Kim removed his glasses and wiped away tears during his address, saying: "Our people have placed trust, as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, in me, but I have failed to always live up to it satisfactorily. I am really sorry for that."

North Korea has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic and a series of typhoons over recent months. The already impoverished nation has seen its resources shrink further in the wake of Covid-19 - especially as it was one of the first nations to close its borders to China, a key ally and its primary trading partner.

Officially, however, Pyongyang has refused to acknowledge the nation has any confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Kim's rare show of emotion came in the midst of a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party.

Hong Min, director of the North Korea division at the Korean Institute for National Unification, told The Korea Times: "It is important to look at why he has come to shed tears at such an occasion.

"Underneath his message, one can sense that Kim is feeling a lot of pressure on his leadership."