1/5 Talk about North Korea's succession of power.

North Korea is one of the few countries in the world that is under a military dictatorship.
* military dictatorship: 군사 독재 정권.
ex> The movie was one of the few films in Korea that surpassed the 10 million ticket sales market.

Its political system is based on the Juche ideology of self-reliance.
* ideology: 이념, 사상
* self-reliance: 주체

With Kim's failing health in recent years, the whole world had been keenly interested in who will become the next successor of the North Korean regime.
* failing health: 악화되는 건강
* be keenly interested in: ~에 첨예한 관심을 보이다.
ex> Customers have been keenly interested in the next version of smart phones that the company will develop.
* successor: 후계자

News surfaced that his son, Kim Jong-eun, was appointed as the heir-apparent.
* be appointed as: ~로 지명되다.
* heir-apparent: 지명 후계자, 법정 상속인, an HEIR whose legal right to receive sb's property, money or title cannot be taken away because it is impossible for sb with a stronger claim to be born.

Despite it being a very isolated and reclusive nation, the DPRK has always had close ties with China and Russia.
* reclusive: 은둔적인, a reclusive millionaire/lifestyle

@ I need higher prescriptions for my contacts.  렌즈 도수 더 높은 거로 맞춰야겠다.