SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has admitted that his economic development plans failed when he opened the country’s first full ruling party congress in five years, state media reported on Wednesday.
In an opening speech at the congress that began on Tuesday, Kim said that “almost all sectors are far from the set goals” according to a previous five-year development plan drawn up at the 2016 congress, according to the North Korean official Korean Central News. Agency.
“We must further promote and expand the victories and successes we have achieved at the expense of sweat and blood, and prevent the painful lessons from being repeated,” he is quoted as saying.
The Labor Party Congress, one of the North’s biggest propaganda spectacle, is meant to help Kim show a concerned nation that he is firmly in control and to increase unity behind his leadership in the light of COVID-19 and others. growing economic challenges.
But some observers are skeptical that the congressional hearing will focus on North Korea’s problems, many of which stem from decades of economic mismanagement and Kim’s pursuit of expensive nuclear weapons on the American continent.
Kim, 36, is holding the congress, which is expected to last several days, amid the most difficult challenge of his nine-year government and what he called ‘multiple crises’.
Authoritarian North Korea is one of the poorest countries in Asia, and the already besieged economy is being hammered by pandemic-related border closures with China, the North’s main economic lifeline, the effects of a series of natural disasters this past summer and persistent US leadership sanctions about the core program.
Elected U.S. President Joe Biden, who will take office later in January, is likely to uphold the sanctions and avoid any direct meeting with Kim until North Korea takes important steps toward denial.
Congress met in Pyongyang to define a ‘new line of combat and strategic and tactical policy’, with thousands of delegates and observers present, KCNA reported.
In his speech, Kim described the current problems facing his government as “the worst ever” and “unprecedented”, according to KCNA.
Kim called for a new five-year plan and reviewed the current status of North Korea’s metal, chemical, electrical and other important industries and set unspecified tasks for future development, KCNA said.
This is not the first time Kim has been candid about flawed systems and policies. Last August, he acknowledged economic “shortcomings” through “unexpected and unavoidable challenges”. Last year, he also said that North Korea does not have modern medical facilities and that the disaster conditions in coastal areas are ‘poor’.
Few experts doubt Kim’s grip on power. But a prolonged closure associated with the coronavirus could further destabilize the food and foreign exchange markets and worsen North Korea’s livelihoods. This could potentially reduce Kim’s authority, some observers say.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said that “the fundamental problem” is that “Kim wants economic growth to be government-sustaining while retaining nuclear weapons.”
“Pyongyang will therefore probably demand sanction relief to simply reduce tension, rather than make progress with deprivation,” he said.
U.S.-led sanctions have been tightened following Kim’s extraordinarily aggressive nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017. It maintains a ban on export products such as coal, textiles and seafood. Nevertheless, Kim has repeatedly insisted on expanding its nuclear arsenal to deal with the hostility he cites.
Kim negotiated with President Donald Trump in 2018, but their diplomacy was stalled for about two years due to the struggle over the sanctions.
The pandemic and typhoons and floods last summer – which destroyed homes, agricultural land and other infrastructure in North Korea – further damaged the northern economy.
After a year-long closure of the border with China, North Korea’s largest trading partner, bilateral trade volume fell by about 80% in the first 11 months of last year from the corresponding period in 2019, analyst Song Jaeguk at the IBK Economic Research Institute of Seoul said. According to North Korea, GDP will shrink by 9.3% in 2020.
Following the sharp drop in foreign trade, North Korea experienced a fourfold increase in imported foods such as sugar and seasonings in markets, while the factory operating rate fell to its lowest level since Kim came to power due to a shortage of raw materials, said the South Korean spy agency. legislators end of November.
“I can not think of words that describe how difficult the situation the North Koreans are going through right now, rather than saying that they are suffering terribly,” Song said. “If the coronavirus pandemic continues, it will get worse.”
Kim insisted on burning an image as a caring leader.
State media said Kim sent New Year’s cards to ordinary citizens in what Seoul called the first such letters by a North Korean leader in 26 years. During a speech in October, Kim shed tears as he thanked the people for resisting problems. He also made an extraordinary number of visits to rural areas affected by the typhoons and floods.
Officially, Congress is the party’s organ at the highest level of decision – making, although Kim and his inner circle make important daily decisions. The delegates gathered for the congress are expected to endorse new initiatives by Kim without much debate. Congress will continue to offer Kim the chance to strengthen his authority by announcing a new vision, appointing loyal lieutenants to the highest positions and calling for a stronger unity behind his leadership.
Many experts believe that North Korea has no option but to maintain the border closure, as the pandemic continues worldwide, as its public health care system remains broken and a major outbreak could cause serious consequences. Despite the fact that draconian antivirus measures have been taken, North Korea has maintained that it has not yet found a single virus case on its soil, which is doubted by foreign experts.
KCNA congress photos showed no participants, including Kim, wearing masks while sitting right next to each other.
During the congress, the North could issue conciliatory messages about ties with the incoming Biden government, while underlining its traditional ties with China and Russia, the Seoul Ministry of Sealing said in a report on the prospects for the congress.
Kim did not mention the United States or South Korea in his speech Tuesday. He is expected to deliver a few more speeches before the congress ends.
Some experts believe that Kim is unlikely to launch a major provocation any time soon, as it would further weaken the prospect of early talks with the Biden government, which is facing very pressing domestic issues.