The North Korean leadership can normally insist that they built a paradise for its people and the people have to enthusiastically shoe their agreement lest bad things happen to them and their families. So what on Earth is happening there beneath the surface?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un admitted that his economic development plans have failed as he opened the nation’s 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 “almost all sectors fell a long way short of the set objectives” under a previous five-year development plan established at the 2016 congress, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
“We should further promote and expand the victories and successes we have gained at the cost of sweat and blood, and prevent the painful lessons from being repeated,” he was quoted as saying.
Is Kim planning to try the China model of economic liberalization combined with stronger party control? perhaps China's suppression of dissent in Hong Kong has reassured Kim.
Is North Korea planning to give up nukes for aid? That seems highly unlikely given that North Korea wants nukes to deter both America (in theory) and China (far more reality based).
Or is this setting the stage for an internal power purge unrelated to Chinese intrigue to engineer a China clone?
Heck, is this just preparing the people for long-range missile tests on the theory that the glories of nuclear missiles--would that be the meaning of the promise to "expand the victories and successes gained at the cost of sweat and blood"?-- will make up for the admitted economic failures?
Still, it has to be significant that Kim doesn't think he can just tell the people not to believe their lying eyes and instead cheer for the glories enabled by Kim Jong Un with the enthusiasm that has been expected in the past.
