Hydrablog

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/world/asia/kim-jong-un-calls-for-greater-north-korean-prosperity.html
August 3, 2012
North Korean Leader Calls for Greater Prosperity
By CHOE SANG-HUN [DPRK] [North Korea] [UN] [after Kim Jong il died in December, the transition to third son began] [relatively quick transition followed by sweeping talks that reached deal on enrichment followed by DPRK firing ICBM, shattering previous progress] [use psci 350, 355-455] [the “Cute Leader” who recently married now calls for prosperity in North Korea?] [followup, July 29] [who does he suppose is responsible for the lack thereof?] [*]
SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for building a “prosperous country” in a major policy guideline published on Friday, a day after he told a visiting Chinese delegation that he was focused on “developing the economy and improving people’s livelihoods.”
On Friday, North Korean media carried the text of a lengthy talk they said Mr. Kim gave to leading officials of the ruling Workers’ Party on July 26. The talk was the latest in a series of speeches and statements Mr. Kim has issued in which he sounded more focused on tackling North Korea’s moribund economy than his father, Kim Jong-il, who championed “military-first policy.”
“Developing the economy and improving livelihoods, so that the Korean people lead happy and civilized lives, is the goal the Workers’ Party is struggling toward,” Mr. Kim said when he met Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, on Thursday, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. [*]
China’s help is crucial to an economic revitalization program Mr. Kim is reportedly pursuing after he ousted a hard-line military general, Marshal Ri Yong-ho, from the top decision-making bodies of the party last month.
North Korea’s reliance on China has deepened as international sanctions have tightened and outside aid has dwindled following the country’s nuclear and long-range missile tests in recent years. It requested urgent humanitarian assistance after heavy flooding killed more than 100 people and inflicted extensive damage to its farmland, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Mr. Wang led the first foreign delegation Mr. Kim has received for formal bilateral talks since he took over leadership in North Korea after his father’s death in December. Official media in both countries quoted Mr. Kim and Mr. Wang as promising to consolidate their countries’ traditional friendship. South Korean media speculated that Mr. Wang’s visit may be followed by a trip to Beijing by Mr. Kim.
For years, Chinese leaders have urged North Korea to follow their route to market economic reform. But so far, the regime in Pyongyang has only dabbled in such experiments. For the Thursday meeting, Mr. Kim showed up in a Mao-style jacket while all Chinese delegates wore Western suits and ties. In his latest lecture to party officials, Mr. Kim called for “steadfast confidence in justice of the Socialist system and victory of Socialism.” [yes, because socialism has worked so well!?!?!] [*]
Yet, he has recently begun indicating a shift in policy focus. Now that his father’s “military-first policy” has turned North Korea into “a world-level military power,” he said in his recent speeches and talks that North Korea must now try harder to “improve the livelihoods of the people and build an economically prosperous country.”
“Not long ago, I told you that we must ensure that the people shout hurray for the Workers’ Party all the time and everywhere, not only during large rallies but also in far-flung islands and deep mountain valleys,” Mr. Kim said in the account of his talk published on Friday. “They will do that when we make the country prosperous and people’s lives affluent.”
Such expression of concern for the people is not unusual in North Korean propaganda, and it jibed with Mr. Kim’s efforts to build his image as a more people-friendly leader. The North’s state-run media recently showed him holding toddlers on his lap, riding a roller coaster at an amusement park and laughing over a live performance of Disney characters, something unimaginable under his father’s time.
Mr. Kim got an unexpected boost to his image campaign in the past week. His country’s athletes, one of the smallest delegations in the London Olympics, have won four gold medals so far — their best performance since the 1992 Games in Barcelona, where they also won four golds.
North Korea’s state-run television expanded its Olympic coverage from 15 minutes to five hours a day, South Korean media quoted North Korean sports officials in London as saying. The North Korean government typically tightly controls images and other information reaching its people.