SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un admitted his economic development plans failed when he opened the first full ruling party congress in five years, state media reported Wednesday.
In an opening speech at the Congress that began Tuesday, Kim said that “nearly all industries fell far short of goals” under an earlier five-year development plan drawn up at the 2016 Congress, according to the North’s official Korean Central News. Agency.
“We need to further promote and expand the victories and successes we have achieved at the expense of sweat and blood, and avoid repeating the painful lessons,” he said.
The Workers’ Party Congress, one of the North’s biggest propaganda spectacles, aims to help Kim show a concerned nation that he is firmly in control and strengthen the unity behind his leadership in the face of COVID- 19 and other growing economic challenges.
But some observers are skeptical that the staged Congress will find fundamental solutions to North Korea’s problems, many of which stem from decades of economic mismanagement and Kim’s dogged pursuit of expensive nuclear weapons intended to hit the American mainland.
Kim, 36, is holding the congress, which is expected to last a few days, amid what is arguably the toughest challenge of his nine-year rule and what he has dubbed “multiple crises.”
Authoritarian North Korea is one of the poorest countries in Asia and its already beleaguered economy is plagued by pandemic-related border closures with China, the North’s main economic lifeline, the fallout from a series of natural disasters last summer and ongoing US-led sanctions on the nuclear program.
US President-elect Joe Biden, who will take office later in January, is likely to enforce sanctions and avoid any direct meeting with Kim until North Korea has taken significant steps toward denuclearization.
Congress met in Pyongyang to establish “a new battle line and strategic and tactical policy,” with thousands of delegates and observers, KCNA reported.
In his speech, Kim described the current difficulties facing his administration as “the worst ever” and “unprecedented,” according to KCNA.
Kim called for a new five-year plan and assessed the current status of North Korea’s metal, chemical, electrical and other major industries and suggested unspecified tasks for future development, KCNA said.
It is not the first time that Kim has been candid about flawed systems and policies. Last August, he recognized economic ‘shortcomings’ caused by ‘unexpected and inevitable challenges’. Last year, he also said that North Korea does not have modern medical facilities and that conditions against disasters in coastal areas are “bad”.
Few experts question Kim’s grip on power. But a long-term blockage related to the coronavirus could further destabilize food and currency markets and worsen livelihoods in North Korea. That could potentially diminish 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 that will sustain the regime while preserving nuclear weapons.”
“So Pyongyang is likely to demand sanction relief for merely reducing tensions rather than making progress with denuclearization,” he said.
US-led sanctions tightened following Kim’s unusually aggressive run of nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017. They maintain bans on major exports such as coal, textiles and seafood. Nevertheless, Kim has repeatedly pushed for expansion of his nuclear arsenal to face what he calls US hostility.
Kim entered into talks with President Donald Trump in 2018, but their diplomacy has been stuck for about two years due to disagreements over sanctions.
Last summer’s pandemic and typhoons and floods – which destroyed homes, farmland and other infrastructure in North Korea – have further damaged the economy of the north.
After a year-long closure of the border with China, North Korea’s largest trading partner, bilateral trade volume declined by about 80% in the first 11 months of last year from the corresponding period in 2019, said IBK analyst Song Jaeguk. Economic Research Institute in Seoul. North Korea’s GDP is estimated to have contracted 9.3% by 2020, he said.
After the sharp decline in foreign trade, North Korea saw a fourfold increase in imported foods such as sugar and seasonings in the markets, while the factory percentage fell to the lowest level since Kim took power due to a shortage of raw materials, South Korean spy agency said. . legislators in late November.
“I can’t think of words to describe how difficult the situation the North Koreans are now going through, instead of saying they are suffering tremendously,” Song said. “If the coronavirus pandemic continues, they will suffer harder.”
Kim has insisted on brushing up an image of a caring leader.
According to state media, Kim sent New Year cards to ordinary citizens in what Seoul called the first such letters from a North Korean leader in 26 years. During a speech in October, Kim wept as she thanked people for resisting difficulties. He has also made an unusually high number of visits to rural areas affected by typhoons and floods.
Officially, Congress is the top-level decision-making body of the party, although the most important day-to-day decisions are made by Kim and his inner circle. Delegates gathered for Congress are expected to support Kim’s new initiatives without major debate. Congress would still give Kim a chance to bolster his authority by announcing a new vision, appointing loyal lieutenants to top positions, and calling for stronger unity behind his leadership.
Many experts say North Korea has no choice but to maintain its border closure as the pandemic continues worldwide as the public health system remains broken and a major outbreak could have dire consequences. Despite taking draconian anti-virus measures, North Korea has maintained that it has not found a single virus case on its territory, a claim widely questioned by foreign experts.
The KCNA photos of the conference showed all the participants, including Kim, wearing masks while sitting side by side.
During the congress, the North can deliver conciliatory messages considering its ties with the incoming Biden government, while underlining its traditional ties with China and Russia, the Seoul Unification Ministry said in a report on prospects for the congress.
Kim did not mention the United States or South Korea in his speech on Tuesday. He is expected to make a few more speeches before the convention ends.
Some experts say Kim is unlikely to launch a major provocation anytime soon as that would further diminish the prospect of early talks with the Biden government, which faces many urgent domestic troubles.