Kim Jong Un issued a full-blown warning to the North Korean economy amid reports that he had delegated some power to his sister, including responsibility for relations with the US
Kim told a meeting of ruling party leaders that the country was “facing unexpected and unavoidable challenges in various aspects” and that its development goals were “seriously delayed”, state media said Thursday. The unusually sincere assessment came as sanctions, floods and the coronavirus pandemic inflamed the North Korean economy after what was expected to be the worst contraction in more than two decades.
Hours later, South Korean lawmakers told reporters that the country’s spy agency determined that Kim had delegated responsibility for relations with Seoul and Washington to his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong. While taking an increasingly public role in diplomatic matters, such as responding to a letter from US President Donald Trump earlier this year, lawmakers described a more formal arrangement for sharing power.
A member of the Ha Tae-keung Intelligence Commission, which was among the legislators of the National Assembly informed by the spy agency on Thursday, said the move did not indicate that Kim had adopted a “collective leadership” system. , similar to the China Communist Party. “The absolute power of Kim Jong Un is shared under the current leadership style of North Korea,” Ha said, adding that Kim still retains ultimate control.
North Korea also announced plans for the first National Congress of the ruling ruling Labor Party since 2016 next year. The important party meeting in January would provide another platform to promote prominent officials like his sister and purge others. Last week, Kim replaced the prime minister he appointed a little over a year ago, in another sign of political tension in Pyongyang.
Duyeon Kim, a senior adviser to Northeast Asia and Nuclear Policy at the International Crisis Group, expressed skepticism that Kim would relinquish any power in the state based on the leader’s highest authority. “To say that there is a partial transfer of power seems to be an exaggeration, seeing the system in North Korea,” she said.
The statement on the economy was the latest in a series of complaints from Kim Jong Un about the pace of key policy objectives. In recent months, he has spoken out in cadres about what he saw as salmon virus management and shocked those responsible for building his showcase Pyongyang General Hospital, saying they flew party policies and were ‘invisible’ with spending.
The North Korean leader also announced at the forthcoming party congress to unveil a new five-year economic development plan. The last meeting in 2016 of what is arguably North Korea’s highest-level decision-making assembly ended last 36 years when Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, ignored party rules that required such a meeting every five years.
“Plans to achieve the goals of improving the national economy have been seriously delayed and the standard of living of the people has not improved significantly,” Kim told a meeting of the party’s central committee, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
While state media did not mention the US-led sanctions on the country, Pyongyang has spoken out several times during the campaign. In December, Kim similarly told the Central Committee that “the conditions of the national economy have not improved,” adding “the role of the state as the organizer of economic work has not improved.”
Kim is facing difficulties on several fronts, and a reported health scare earlier this year raised questions about follow-up. His nuclear talks with Trump have grounded without him gaining any sanctions, and the US and South Korea have begun joint military drills this week.
The economy was already under pressure from its decision to close borders in January due to the coronavirus, which put the brakes on its meager legal trade. This year, the problems could send the economy into its biggest counterpoint since 1997, according to Fitch Solutions.
Torrential rains that hit his state this summer have removed farmland, increasing food security in the country where the United Nations Food Program says about 40% of the population is undernourished. North Korea is rumored to have no confirmed case of Covid-19, a claim questioned by U.S. and Japanese officials.
“Unless there is a major change – such as pushing for economic reform or improving relations with South Korea, China and / or Russia – it would be difficult for North Korea to deliver the economic prosperity it promised. , “said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul who has advised the South Korean government over the years.
-With the help of Shinhye Kang.
.
