[imText1]In accordance with the 2nd phase of implementing the September 19th Joint Declaration outlined in the \u201cOctober 3rd Agreement,\u201d North Korea, after having commenced with the disablement of Yongbyon nuclear facilities on the 5th, has taken an active stance towards restoring diplomatic relations with other countries. <\/p>\n
Kim Young Il, the Premier of the North Korean Cabinet, made a round of visits to four countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos from the 26th of last month to November 7th. Previously, Kim Young Nam, the Supreme People\u2019s Committee\u2019s Permanent Chairperson, and Choi Tae Bok, the Supreme People\u2019s Committee\u2019s Chairman, made foreign visits in July and October respectively. <\/p>\n
North Korea restored diplomatic relations with Myanmar and Nicaragua this year and established relations on an ambassadorial level with five countries, including United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, Swaziland, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. <\/p>\n
North Korea\u2019s recent diplomatic activity is in huge contrast with its diplomatic relations with a mere three countries in the five years following North Korea\u2019s 2nd nuclear threat in 2002. <\/p>\n
Among its activities, the one that stands out the most is its relations with Vietnam. In the wake of talks between Kim Jong Il and Nong Duc Manh, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party and the highest leader to have visited North Korea in 50 years, Minister of Interior Kim Young Il visited Vietnam on the 27th of October. <\/p>\n
During the General-Secretary of Vietnam\u2019s visit to Pyongyang, Kim Jong Il was reported to have said, \u201cWe will benchmark Vietnam\u2019s development policy and the direction of its economic development, Doi Moi economic reform.\u201d Kim Jong Il gave a favorable evaluation upon the fulfillment of the development policy, which has taken 20 years, and received an invitation from the Vietnamese leader to visit Vietnam for a \u201cinvaluable experience.\u201d <\/p>\n
Concerning Kim Jong Il\u2019s acceptance of the invitation, most experts are skeptical; but from a North Korean perspective, it has been analyzed that Kim Jong Il is more interested in a Vietnamese model than in a Chinese-style reform and open-door policy. <\/p>\n
In regards to North Korea\u2019s aggressive economic diplomacy, there are those who have linked it to progress made since the Six-Party talks. That is, through assertive diplomatic activity, North Korea is attempting to send a positive message regarding its intent to resolve the nuclear issue and its pursuit for normalized relations with the U.S. This is directly related to the U.S.\u2019 conditional pledge to withdrawal hostile policies toward North Korea. <\/p>\n
The North also established diplomatic relations with several countries in the last days of the Clinton administration in 2000 in anticipation of achieving normalized relations with the U.S. After forging diplomatic relations with Italy in January, it made efforts to promote amicable relations with Japan in three stages between April and August. In May, it succeeded in normalizing relations with Australia for the first time in 24 years and entered the Asian Regional Forum (ARF). <\/p>\n
Christopher Hill, the U.S. representative to the Six-Party talks and Assistant-Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said at the Japanese National Press Club Conference on the 3rd that North Korea\u2019s interest in Vietnam is an extremely interesting and positive improvement in affairs. <\/p>\n
Hill expressed keen interest in an article connecting North Korea\u2019s assertive outside activity to the progress made in the Six-Party talks and said that it is difficult to say what kind of a link exists between the two ideas. <\/p>\n
Regarding North Korea\u2019s intent to achieve economic development, Hill said the Chinese people believe that explaining China\u2019s modern economics to North Korean leaders works as an incentive for North Korea\u2019s development efforts.\u201d <\/p>\n
However, among a majority of experts, the predominant analysis is that North Korea\u2019s intentions should be re-evaluated, as North Korea\u2019s efforts toward open-door reform have been insufficient. It has been observed that a limited development effort that does not threaten the maintenance of the regime is possible without amounting to full-scale opening and reform.<\/p>\n
North Korea\u2019s Workers\u2019 Party publication, the Rodung Shinmum, emphasized in an editorial on the 30th of last month that \u201cChosun (North Korea) exists within an international context. Our emphasis on \u201cself-revitalization\u201d is not to say economic construction should be carried out while ignoring international economic relations.\u201d It also stated, \u201cSelf-revitalization should be based on modern scientific technology and actual profit.\u201d <\/p>\n
The North Korean government, which had put forward \u201cself-revitalization\u201d as the Workers\u2019 Party\u2019s eternal \u201ceconomic strategy,\u201d has basically declared that the economic foundation can change according to the changing environment in the 21st century. <\/p>\n
However, it reemphasized, \u201cEconomics is an area in which it is easy to apply the essential elements of capitalism. If we do not have the will to break through the barrier ourselves, various anti-socialist conditions will seep in and will shake the foundations of socialism.\u201d Even if a series of economic policies unfold, North Korea is clearly making sure that such policies will not threaten the maintenance of the regime. <\/p>\n
From this standpoint, the reopening of the Workers\u2019 Party\u2019s terminal office, \u201cthe nationwide Party cell\u2019s secretarial rally,\u201d on the 26th of October in 10 years is a bigger deal. The previous rally took place when the 1st round of the supposed U.S. air-raid on the Yongbyon nuclear facility in 1994 caused an ideological and security threat to North Korea.<\/p>\n
The latest secretarial rally differs from the situation in `94. Does Kim Jong Il not view the current point in time as an important milestone in affairs since then? If the threat by the U.S. in `94 was for the sake of mincing up internal solidarity, the rally seems to be an active preparation for the change in North Korea\u2019s internal and external environment. <\/p>\n
The Central Committee of the Workers\u2019 Party, concluded in itscongratulatory speech that day, \u201cOne of this party cell\u2019s most important duties is to actively call forth workers and party members to assist in improving civilian lives and constructing an economically strong country. We will unfold such efforts to foster a strong mentality that does not know pessimism or complaint even in the midst of difficult conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[imText1]In accordance with the 2nd phase of implementing the September 19th Joint Declaration outlined in the \u201cOctober 3rd Agreement,\u201d North Korea, after having commenced with the disablement of Yongbyon nuclear facilities on the 5th, has taken an active stance towards restoring diplomatic relations with other countries. Kim Young Il, the Premier of the North Korean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":5516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n