SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for another “tough march” to combat severe economic hardship, comparing them for the first time to a famine in the 1990s that killed hundreds thousands.
Kim had previously said his country is facing “worst” history due to several factors, such as the coronavirus pandemic, U.S.-led sanctions and heavy flooding last summer. But it is the first time he has publicly made a parallel with the deadly famine.
North Korean watchdogs have found no signs of mass starvation or humanitarian disaster. But Kim’s comments continue to suggest the degree of seriousness he considers the current difficulties, which according to foreign observers are the biggest test of his nine-year rule.
“There are many obstacles and difficulties ahead, and therefore our struggle to carry out the decisions of the eighth party congress would not be at all easy,” Kim told members of the lower-level government party on Thursday. Korean Central News Agency.
“I decided to ask WPK (Workers’ Party of Korea) organizations at all levels, including its Central Committee and cell secretaries from across the party, to make another “hard march” more difficult. to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little bit, ”Kim said.
The term “hard march” is a euphemism that North Koreans use to describe the struggles during the famine of the 1990s, which was precipitated by the loss of Soviet assistance, decades of mismanagement, and natural disasters. The exact number of deaths is unclear, ranging from hundreds of thousands to 2 million to 3 million, and North Korea relied for years on international aid to feed its people.
Kim’s speech came at the closing ceremony of a party meeting with thousands of grassroots members, called cell secretaries. Speaking at the opening day on Tuesday, Kim said improving public livelihoods in the face of the “worst situation in history” will depend on party cells.
During the party’s congress in January, Kim ordered officials to build a stronger self-sufficient economy, reduce dependence on imports, and make more consumer goods. But analysts are skeptical about Kim’s push, saying the North’s problems are the result of mismanagement, self-imposed isolation and sanctions for its nuclear program.
Chinese data show that North Korea’s trade with China, its largest trading partner and benefactor of the aid, fell by about 80% last year after the closure of the border with North Korea as part of strict pandemic measures.
Experts say North Korea has no other choice because a major outbreak of coronavirus could have serious consequences for its broken health system.
Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, told reporters on Friday that there are multiple indications that North Korea is taking steps to facilitate border control with China, including reports of the North according to which it established new antivirus facilities at the border and passed new laws on the disinfection of imported goods.
Some experts say North Korea’s ongoing difficulties will not lead to famine because China will not allow this to happen. They say China is concerned about the flooding of North Korean refugees at the border or the establishment of a pro-American unified Korea on its doorstep.
When Kim last month exchanged messages with Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea’s state media said Xi expressed his commitment to “provide a better life for the peoples of the two countries.” Some analysts saw it as an indication that China would soon provide North Korea with much-needed food, fertilizer and other supplies that had shrunk significantly amid pandemic border closures.
___
Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.