Pedestrians walk past the portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, in central Pyongyang on August 19.
Photographer: Kim Won Jin / AFP via Getty Images
Photographer: Kim Won Jin / AFP via Getty Images
Kim Jong Un acknowledged that North Korea’s development goals have been “seriously delayed”, in the latest sign that sanctions, floods and the coronavirus have dealt a threefold blow to the country’s already anemic economy.
Kim told the first meeting of the ruling Labor Party of the Central Committee of Korea in eight months that the country is facing “unexpected and insurmountable challenges in various aspects,” state media said Thursday. “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 said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The statement was the latest in a series by Kim who complained about the pace of key policy objectives, a striking admission for a state built on the infallibility of the Kim family rule. Over the past few months, Kim has been blaming cadres over what he saw as managing salmon virus and blowing up the people in charge with building his showcase Pyongyang General Hospital, saying they cursed party policies and were ‘invisible’ with spending.
The North Korean leader also unveiled a new five-year plan for economic development at a congressional ruling that will be held in January, without elaboration. The last five-year plan was unveiled in 2016.
Key party meetings often lead to a shake-up of cadres, which could mean new forces for prominent officials such as his sister, Kim Yo Jong, and a purge of others. At a Politburo meeting last week, Kim fired the prime minister he appointed a little over a year ago, removed the southern border town of Kaesong from virus lockdown and said he would not accept foreign food aid because of the risk of the pandemic.
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 President Donald Trump have grounded without him imposing any sanctions, and the US and South Korea began joint military drills this week.
“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. , “sei Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul who has advised the South Korean government over the years.
The worst since 1997
North Korea’s economy has shrunk the most since the crisis in the mid – 1990s
Source: Fitch Solutions for 2019 and 2020 estimates, Bank of Korea for rest
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 wiped out farmland, increasing food security in the country where the United Nations Food Program says about 40% of the population malnourished.
North Korea is rumored to have no confirmed case of Covid-19, a claim questioned by U.S. and Japanese officials.
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