(Seoul) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un put the economy at the heart of his speech after an important ruling party meeting, state media reported on Saturday.
Unlike in previous years, when his New Year’s address focused on foreign policy, the leader made economic development and the food situation his priority at a plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party.
The North Korean regime, which is under international sanctions for its banned military programs, suffers from food shortages.
The pressure on the North Korean economy has been increased by the orderly border closures to combat the pandemic.
In his speech on Friday, Kim Jong-un acknowledged that the country has experienced a “difficult situation” in 2021, and outlined plans for next year, the official North Korean agency (KCNA) reported.
He described the challenges of 2022 as “a great battle between life and death” and called for “an important mission to make radical progress in solving the problems of food, clothing and housing”, according to KCNA.
The North experienced its biggest economic recession in two decades in 2020, according to South Korea’s central bank.
The leader admitted in June that his country was facing a “tense food situation”.
In October, a United Nations human rights expert warned that the most vulnerable were “threatened with famine”.
The leader, who took over from his father Kim Jong-il ten years ago, told his party’s meeting that tackling the pandemic was one of the main goals for the coming year.
“Emergency measures to fight the epidemic must be placed at the top of national priorities and be vigorously implemented,” he said, according to KCNA.
Experts believe the consequences of closing borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are behind the importance he places on the economy.
“In survival mode”
“The pandemic continues to limit its diplomatic (policy), decimate its economy and make border control its main security problem,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor at Ewha Womans University of Seoul.
In his remarks, Kim Jong-un did not directly mention the United States and South Korea.
He stressed, however, that Pyongyang would continue to strengthen its military capabilities keeping in mind “the military environment in the Korean Peninsula” and the international situation.
These include ensuring loyalty and obedience in the army, improving militias and “producing powerful equipment that correspond to modern warfare,” said the leader without giving further details.
“Mr. Kim might be aware that revealing sophisticated military development plans when people suffer from food shortages and difficult (living) conditions outside Pyongyang might not be such a good idea this year,” Chad tweeted. O’Carroll from the specialist site NK News.
North Korea is more or less in survival mode for 2022 – and not sure what to do […] in matters of foreign policy at the moment ”.
Chad O’Carroll from the specialist site NK News
The deterioration of the economic situation linked to the pandemic did not prevent Pyongyang from developing its weapons program, according to a United Nations report published in October.
In 2021, North Korea said it had successfully tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, long-range cruise missile, train-launched weapon, and claimed to be a hypersonic warhead. .
Negotiations with the United States have stalled since the failure in 2019 of the meeting between Kim Jon Un and US President Donald Trump, then President of the United States.
Under President Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its readiness to meet with North Korean officials. But Pyongyang has so far rejected the offer.