Pyongyang’s "Parliament" gathers: expectations for economic reform
Seoul (AsiaNews) - The Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea was held today in Pyongyang to "discuss" a possible economic reform of the State. The "Parliament" of led by the Kim regime is composed of 687 deputies, chosen by the Workers' Party, and usually meets once a year to ratify the decisions taken by the political leadership. The meeting was also attended by the leader Kim Jong-un.
According to the KCNA, the official state press agency, the deputies "have arrived in the capital yesterday and the first thing they paid tribute to the statues of the great national leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il [grandfather and father of the dictator - ed] that are located on Mansu hill. Now they are studying documents and preparing to listen to the leader’s directives".
Some experts believe that the legislature could "possibly" result in various reform of the economic system aimed at reducing the poverty of about 24 million North Korean citizens. According to UN estimates, half of these people live on less than two dollars a day. Furthermore, 30% of the population live below one dollar every two days, the World Bank standard for absolute poverty. This poverty is the result of the insane autarkic theories applied by the "father of the father" Kim Il-sung, worsened by the sanctions imposed by the international community after the nuclear tests carried out by the regime.
What remains unclear is the direction this reform could take. While having a decrepit industrial park, North Korea boasts some flourishing sectors for exports, including fruit trees and fish. However, the massive corruption in the Armed Forces coupled with social imbalances characterized by loyalty to the Party result in the pocketing of the proceeds of these activities by high-level officials.
Finally China, the regime’s last great international partner, is reducing of its financial support: in recent months a series of gestures – even at an official level – have led many to believe there is a cooling of relations between Beijing and Pyongyang.
Lim Byeong-chol, spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry, said that the meeting is routine: "Every year the North convene this meeting around April, to discuss the budget and management issues related to the various organizations of the country." For other analysts, it is a way to ratify the various promotions within the political and military hierarchy.
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