North Koreans start New Year in Pyongyang

People in North Korea's capital Pyongyang expressed optimism for the new year on Saturday. The city was decorated with flags and placards to greet 2022, after the ruling party completed a five-day meeting to discuss plans for the year ahead.

People laid flowers and bowed to giant statues of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. This show of loyalty and respect is expected on all major holidays and anniversaries not just in Pyongyang, but at statues and portraits all over the country.

North Korea is approaching two years of international lockdown against COVID this month. It was the first country in the world to shut its borders back in January 2020, just a few weeks after news of the new virus emerged from China.