The media should always report on just the
facts. However, North Korea’s Party-run publication has ended up becoming
nothing more than a mouthpiece for the regime. You are now tuning into “Rodong View.” During this program we
will take an in-depth look at what is being reported by the Party-run Rodong Sinmun and
compare it to the situation in actuality. Today, we are joined by director Seo
Jae Pyeong from the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea.
An editorial, titled “A Remarkable Time for
Revolution at the 7th Party Convention,” covered the front page of the
Rodong Sinmun recently. The article emphasized a focus on the upcoming
Party convention, the first in 36 years, stating, “Now is a time of unprecedented
growth, a time when myths about legendary heroes will be created. Now is the
time when we desperately need to safeguard the core of the Party.” Many are
paying close attention to how Kim Jong Un will handle the event. Now, let’s
take a look at what the Rodong Sinmun is reporting about the upcoming
convention.
1. Director Seo, could you please describe the
Party convention in detail for us? What are some of the international topics
discussed at this type of delegation?
North Korea has held a total of six Party
conventions and the Party has historically convened once every 10 years. It’s
here that the Party announces major policies and measures to implement them.
The results of policies from previous conventions are also discussed. It’s the
Party’s primary vehicle for debating discrepancies or inadequacies found among
these results and how to go about reforming them. The people must have been
truly shocked by the Party’s announcement, seeing as next year will mark 36 years
since the last convention was held in 1980.
2. So, why do you think Kim Jong Un has
convened the Party once again?
First of all, Kim Jong Un is more willing
to hold these conventions in comparison to his father and grandfather.
Although his predecessors implemented policies designed to assert the dominance
of socialism and strengthen the economy, they were both unable to bring any
actual results to the table and decided not to hold any following conventions.
But, Kim Jong Un is mostly free from this burden to produce change, as he is
simply aiming to finish what they started.
If the convention is not held next year, a
whopping 40 years will have passed between meetings. It’s valid to say the
Workers’ Party has already gone under, considering they haven’t met in so long.
I think Kim Jong Un has decided, after much deliberation, that he needs to hold
this convention because the Party is being criticized for its lack of action.
This is in the face of propaganda, claiming the “Party is invincible and
infallible”, circulating through the population. It would have been prudent to
hold the convention this year to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the
founding of the Workers’ Party, but I think there will be will plenty to
discuss next year regardless.
It’s also critical for the regime the
impart a message of inspiration to the people through the convention. Kim Jong
Un burdened the people with the 70th anniversary preparations all year, and it
will only be worse next year with the convention arrangements. I think they are
going to convene no matter what, for the sake of maintaining stability within
the regime.
3.Following the announcement of the upcoming
convention, the Rodong Sinmun has begun ramping up. Also, it was mentioned that
Party Secretary Choe Ryong Hae will be hosting the convention. What could be
the motivation behind this? *
Well, Choe Ryong Hae is currently the Workers’ Organizations’ Secretary.
After the Organization and Guidance Department, the Workers’
Organizations’ Department is the group most responsible for managing the
citizens and as the secretary of this group, he directs subordinate
organizations such as the Youth League, Trade Union, and Women’s League. This
puts him in charge of the vast majority of the population. As such, one can
speculate that he alone is responsible for the success of this convention.
In his early 30s, Choi worked as Youth
Secretary at a convention, so maybe this will be reminiscent for him. Now in his
60s, hosting this convention will be of major significance to him. Also, at the
last convention, his father served as the head of the Ministry of the People’s
Armed Forces. Therefore, the Party is likely to highlight the fact that both
father and son served in positions of authority at separate conventions.
4. So, there was this interesting
expression I read in the Rodong Sinmun. It went, “One should enjoy Baekdu
Mountain blueberry juice more than cola and never give up their revolutionary
spirit.” What do you think this means?
In the 1990s, North Korea used to refer to
youth brainwashed by capitalism as “Coca-Cola” in lectures targeting the
educated class (college students and mid-ranking cadres of state enterprises).
So I thought that Coca-Cola referred to some type of ideology. I was in China
the first time I actually tasted the drink. As I enjoyed it, I remember
thinking that Coca-Cola could lead to the collapse of North Korea if it ever
entered the country. It tasted that good.
It was funny to see Baekdu Mountain
blueberries in the recent Rodong Sinmun. They are sweet like [Western]
blueberries and the juice is a beautiful blue color. But, over 90% of ordinary
citizens are unable to try these berries. It’s kind of funny because if they
could, they would experience a taste greater than Coca-Cola. These Rodong
Sinmun articles are out of touch with reality. They urge people to enjoy Baekdu
blueberries, but the truth is that the people don’t even know what they taste
like. Cola imported from China, Singapore, and Thailand is a much more familiar
treat for the average citizen.
4-1 Could this maybe be a way to try and
foster an attitude to reject foreign influence?
They say that the true heros of this
generation, those that adhere to the “Baekdu Revolutionary Spirit”, are the
youth of the nation. Actually, when they talk about Baekdu blueberries in
reference to Coca-Cola, they are actually talking about an absolute blocking
out and rejection of foreign influence. Even if people buy into the Party’s
rhetoric that cola addiction is no laughing matter, there is still a need to
combat the strong influx of outside information that states otherwise.
5. There are already propaganda slogans
claiming that next year’s Party convention will be “a historical turning point
in the construction of a strong and prosperous nation.” Should we look at this
convention as an important political event welcoming the start of the “Kim Jong
Un era?”
With the 70th anniversary celebration this
year and the 7th Party convention next year, Kim Jong Un has already outdone
his father after just four years since coming into power. If you look at Rodong
Sinmun articles from the past, they don’t mention much about the previous
regime. But now, there is a lot of propaganda celebrating Kim Jong Un’s success
in accomplishing decades worth of procrastinated work in a single year. It’s a
modest boast that the son is outdoing his father.
Ultimately, this “turning point” is
actually a climax in the regime thus far, and this convention appears to be an
extremely important opportunity for its leader. I think it symbolizes a
proclamation ceremony with the message that the Kim Jong Un era has officially
begun and his regime is legitimately in control.
6. With all this emphasis on the Party
convention, it looks like preparations are about to be in full swing. How are
Party cadre preparing for the event?
Well, there are specific guidelines and
regulations for arranging a Party convention according to the official
directive of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’
Party of Korea. First, Party cadre must establish ideological education that
focuses on political enthusiasm and achievement. Next, the organizational role
of the Party must be strengthened.
In the past, Rodong Sinmun has written
articles to encourage Party members, ordering them to devote themselves to the
Party for the sake of the convention. In addition to the emphasis on political
achievement, economic success will also be stressed in the coming months.
Orders reiterating the need to reach lofty economic goals in the face of a
struggling financial sector have likely already promulgated the Party.
So, it
seems that the citizens, Party cadres, and even regular workers will be forced
into yet another rigorous preparation period. It hurts to even think about the
people going through another time of day-to-night suffering just to meet goals
set by the regime.
7. The convention is still roughly a year
away, but let’s take a look at some of the possible talking points. With the
total shift in generations, do you think we could see a major change in the
direction the country is headed?
This is a very important issue and I think
that Kim Jong Un and his Party leadership know that they must change the
general modus operandi of policymaking. I think they are aware of the impending
crisis wherein the nation’s society destroys itself. It’s my professional
opinion that we will definitely see some sort of major policy shift either at
the convention or even in the period leading up to it.
I think they recognize
that there is a limit to how long stability can last under the current system.
Also, I think that because Kim Jong Un knows that not saving the economy is a
threat to the very existence of his regime, he is willing to go through great
pains to pass policies that ensure its survival.
8. What economic development plans do you
think will be discussed at the upcoming convention? Do you think there is a
good chance that Kim Jong Un will lay out new reforms?
I think there is one of two possibilities
here. First, if he can avoid making reforms and still maintain stability in the
regime, he won’t make any reforms. But, if it’s possible to make reforms while
at the same time ensuring the safety of his regime and his position as
dictator, then I think he will make partial reforms. I think he will look at
experiences of other socialist nations that have undergone reforms, such as
China, Vietnam and Cuba, and use their models to decide where he wants to steer
the country.
I think he has realized that if he doesn’t
make changes, there is a limit to what current economic and political policies
can accomplish; the door must be opened through major reform. Even if it’s not
as much as we would like, I would venture a guess that we will see him moving
forward with reforms of some kind.
9.It it also very likely that he will
discuss his own new vision for North Korea at the convention. Some are saying
this means he wants to move on from his grandfather and father’s “rule with
dying instruction” style of politics and begin his own independent era. What do
you think?
Well it’s been quite a while since both Kim
Il Sung and Kim Jong Il died, so it’s either take an independent route or stop
worrying about their “dying instructions.” That old style of politics is
unrealistic, anyways. That’s why it’s likely he will decide to do things his
own way. It’s also possible he is holding the convention to officially proclaim
this new way ahead. I think he will give orders on specific policies that fit
his new vision for the country. I also wonder whether it was a calculated
measure to hold the convention next year, after three years of stability and a
successful major celebration [the 70th anniversary of the Party].
*According to anonymous sources at Seoul’s National Intelligence Service cited by Yonhap News, Choe Ryong Hae was either sentenced to re-education at the Kim Il Sung Higher Party School or to a rural farm to perform hard labor for the same purpose. Daily NK has not independently verified either of these claims.
