US official: Pyongyang is going through difficult times amid military pressure and agricultural failure
The hunger crisis in North Korea threatens the development of nuclear weapons
Expectations that Kim will move forward with his ambitious arms program.
EPA
Kim Jong Un: "The main task facing our party and people in the future is to provide a sure guarantee for the implementation of the Five-Year Plan."
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North Korea is facing a huge food crisis at the present time, due to the isolation it has imposed on itself due to the Corona pandemic, which has caused major food shortages, and US sanctions are also affecting the country's economy.
American political writer Douglas Bando, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, who was a special assistant to the late President Ronald Reagan, said in a report published by the National Interest magazine, that “Pyongyang is going through difficult times, amid military pressure from the United States and South Korea, And in light of agricultural failure due to insufficient rural development.”
food
North Korean President Kim Jong Un, wearing a Western-style suit, spoke at the conclusion of the five-day Fourth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
According to analysts, the conference was largely inward-oriented, and lacked "messages to the United States or South Korea, such as those delivered by Kim in previous New Year's policy speeches."
The focus of that event was on the economy, particularly food.
difficulties
A report by the Workers' Party of Korea noted the progress made, including "significant improvement and results", in implementing the new five-year plan.
However, there were obvious significant difficulties.
The party admitted that it sought to "discover ways to stabilize the economy in the most difficult circumstances," which apparently did not materialize.
Moreover, the report noted the success in “consolidating” the economic rules related to North Korea’s plans and “strengthening” ministerial oversight.
It seemed that this matter was continuing in the opposite direction to the path of economic reforms and the reassertion of the state's economic sovereignty.
rural development
Rural development seemed less successful, but at least Kim and the party were more critical of current policy.
The party set a positive goal, which is to "open a great new era for a radical development in the socialist countryside in the Korean style."
Given Pyongyang's long-standing inability to feed itself, it's hard to imagine what the party means.
Emergency
In any case, it seems that the "fundamental development of the socialist countryside in the Korean style" did not materialize.
The commander in chief did not appear happy, though he avoided using his sharp words earlier last year, when he said that "the food situation of the people is becoming increasingly tense now with the failure of the agricultural sector to fulfill its plan to produce grain."
One of the items on the agenda at the meeting of the whole party last June was to "establish an emergency policy on overcoming the current food crisis."
Problem
However, outside observers have pointed to the significant and continuing focus on this topic.
"This striking focus on agriculture, combined with numerous signs of extreme hardship, suggests that hunger is indeed a serious problem," said Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
main mission
During the party's latest meeting, Kim stressed "to solve the current rural issues to boost the country's agricultural production," and ordered the meeting to "solve the issue of food, clothing and housing for the people."
"The main task facing our party and people in the future is to provide a sure guarantee for the implementation of the five-year plan and to achieve a remarkable change in the development of the state and the standard of living of the people," he said.
hunger
How can this be achieved, Pollack asked.
Especially in light of the regime's shift away from previous economic reforms.
He pointed to another evidence of political concern, as it was noted that Kim Jong-un had significantly lost weight earlier this year, which could be linked to potential health problems, as either the North Korean leader suffers from a serious condition or is seeking to avoid suffering from dangerous situation.
Nevertheless, Pollack said, "it seems ever more evident that his former obesity has become a political burden, and we may conclude that hunger is indeed reaching the regime's support base, and not confined to the countryside."
Sanctions relief
"Kim's failure to pay much attention to the United States or South Korea in his speech finally indicates a lack of interest in easing sanctions, or more precisely, a lack of belief that it is likely to happen," says US politician Bando.
This, in turn, indicates that Kim is likely to press ahead with his ambitious armaments programme.
The report of the Workers' Party of Korea concluded that "the military environment of the Korean Peninsula and the trend of the international situation is becoming more and more turbulent day by day, which requires strengthening the defense capacity of the state strongly without delaying a moment."
Joshua Pollack:
• "It seems clearer than ever that Kim's previous obesity has become a political burden."
"Strategic patience"
The American political writer, Douglas Bando, said that South Korea and the United States should continue to press for participation, and they should do so without illusions.
"With Pyongyang and Washington preoccupied with internal problems, the two sides may end up doing an updated version of 'strategic patience', and while this is not a satisfactory outcome, it would be better than another round of 'fire and fury'," he added.
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