N. Korea Publishes Editorial for 2007

In a newspaper editorial released yesterday, North Korea emphasized that improvement of people’s livelihoods and economic development should be the top priority, saying, “We should focus our national strength on solving economic problems.” To that end, the editorial suggested tasks which include solution of food shortages through scientific farming, revolution of the light industry, and the development of the four industries, namely electricity, coal, metal and the railway transportation.

Experts say that the North’s emphasis on economy reflects a sense of urgency that it could face the worst economic crisis if the financial sanctions imposed by UN Security Council remains in place for a long time.

This means that the editorial is based on the North authorities’ concern that a failure to solve economic problems will fuel social instability which will ultimately lead to another crisis of the system, even thouugh the country strives for uniting its people, stressing its new status as a nuclear club member.

Indeed, estimates indicate that Pyongyang is short two to three million tons of foods due to last year’s damaging floods which left 1.5 million North Koreans homeless. Against this backdrop, some experts predict that the financial sanctions, which will make it harder for the North to receive economic assistance from the international community, could give rise to another “arduous march,” a food crisis in the mid-1990s in which millions of its people died of hunger.

Analysts also point out that the editorial urges North Koreans to enhance agricultural productivity and modernize industrial facilities while stressing the need for “self-sufficiency,” for the same reasons.

An official at the Unification Ministry said, “The fact that it mentioned economic issues before military issues is interpreted as its intention to focus more on people’s livelihoods, including food shortages, now that it owns nuclear weapons.”

Pyongyang’s South Korea Policy-

The editorial focuses on national unity among the two Koreas and establishment of a grand coalition of the anti-conservative in South Korea in the run-up to the presidential election.

It said, “National unity is the principle that all Koreans should stick to, amid division and war forced by foreign forces. It is time (for the two Koreas) to foster the atmosphere of reconciliation and unity, while expanding and strengthening solidarity among unification movement organizations.”

In particular, as the North placed national unity right after economic development, which some experts forecast that would have a positive effect on improving the inter-Korean relationship, which has stagnated since the North’s missile launches.

The prediction is based on the fact that the South’s assistance, including rice and fertilizer, $80 million worth of raw materials for light industry and two million-kilowatts of electricity, is essential for the North’s resolution of food shortages, revolution of the industrial industry and development of the four key industries, which the editorial asserted.

Furthermore, the editorial said, “We should use the South’s presidential election this year as an opportunity to root out the pro-U.S. conservative forces, by establishing a grand coalition of the anti-conservatives in the South,” suggesting its will to intervene in the election.

This demonstrates the Communist country’s worries that it might be harder to secure its economic interests through Seoul’s assistance and inter-Korean exchanges, if the Grand National Party takes office.

North Korea also asserted in the last year’s new year’s editorial, “The pro-U.S. forces in the South is making its last-ditch effort to bring hostile confrontation back to this era of unification to realize its dark plot to take control of the South.”

No Mentioning of Resolving the Nuclear Issue-

The editorial suggests Pyongyang’s pride in its nuclear weapons but did not mention what future direction it would take regarding the nuclear issue, including the six-party talks for disarmament.

That is interpreted as part of the efforts to maintain a strategic obscurity about its intention on the nuclear issue amid the ongoing negotiations on the issue in the six-party talks and the working group negotiations on its asset freeze in Banco Delta Asia on the sidelines.

However, the editorial stressed the legitimacy of owning nuclear weapons, saying, “Having nuclear deterrence is a matter for historic congratulation for Koreans,” and, “War deterrence is a formidable power to protect peace and security in Northeast Asia.” This gives rise to an expectation that the North would not change its hard-line attitude of emphasizing its status as a nuclear country in future negotiations.

In particular, the fact that there was no mentioning of a “nuclear-free Korean peninsula” which Pyongyang has emphasized, saying it is the lesson that the deceased Leader Kim Il-sung left also support such a prediction.

Yu Ho-yeol, a professor at the department of North Korean studies at Korea University, said, “Judging from the editorial which refrains talking about the nuclear issue and denuclearization and emphasizes the legitimacy of owning nuclear weapons, North Korea will not renounce its nuclear program in future negotiations as well.”

weappon@donga.com