North Korea’s New Year’s editorial for 2010 is noticeably different from those released in previous years. Pyongyang announces its customary New Year’s message on January 1st every year in the form of a joint editorial of three newspapers representing the ruling Workers’ Party, the military and the youth militia. Through the editorial, the North proclaims the nation’s major policy guideline for the coming year inside and outside the nation. The latest editorial is divided into three parts—domestic affairs including economic issues, diplomacy focused on relations with the United States and inter-Korean ties. What grabs our attention the most is that the communist nation places great emphasis on the economy. It underlines the importance of boosting industries and agriculture and expanding foreign trade. This is starkly different from the nation’s previous policy placing top priority on politics, ideology and the military. Professor Ryu Gil-jae from the University of North Korean Studies analyzes the North’s intention in two ways.

North Korea pushed for massive currency reform last month to crack down on the emerging wealthy class that had amassed a fortune from the market. It was a symbolic move to carry out the communist economic policy on the side of conservatism. The New Year’s editorial mentioned the need to improve the economic lives of citizens. This reflects North Korean authorities’ determination to resolve the economic difficulty its citizens suffer amid the conservative trend in the economy this year. Also, the nation set 2012 as the year for building a “strong North Korea.” Pyongyang would find it hard to win support from its people fulfilling the stated goal if the nation failed to stabilize their lives. For that reason, North Korea highlighted the economic part in the New Year’s message.

As for foreign relations, North Korea focused on the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and denuclearization through dialogue and negotiations. Also, the North reiterated its desire to put an end to hostility with the United States for the sake of peace in the region. Diplomatic experts are paying attention to the phrase, “dialogue and negotiations,” as the North stated. The phrase may indicate a simple principle related to North Korea’s return to the six-party nuclear talks. But the experts regard it a tacit expression of North Korea’s intention to come back to the multilateral talks, given the nation’s gradual yet increasingly positive attitude toward the negotiations. Professor Ryu also says North Korea makes it clear that it will actively seek better relations with the Obama administration.

North Korea seems to have signaled its will to return to the nuclear negotiations during the Pyongyang visit by U.S. special envoy Stephen Bosworth in December. The United States made some moves to ease various preconditions, and the North used the nuclear issue as an excuse to participate in the negotiations, aimed at concluding a peace treaty. It appears that there has been significant progress in nuclear negotiations behind the scenes. North Korea stressed dialogue as a means of achieving denuclearization in the New Year’s message in an apparent bid to keep this dialogue momentum going. Of course, it’s hard to expect North Korea will put its statement into action right away. We’ll wait to see how things will turn out, but I think the positive developments in North Korea-U.S. relations last year were reflected, in part, in the North’s state policy.

The New Year’s editorial gives considerable weight to relations with South Korea, as an extension of North Korea-U.S. ties. The North urges the South to respect the existing inter-Korean agreements and to become more committed to bilateral dialogue, as 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit. In the New Year’s editorial last year, North Korea criticized the South Korean government for resorting to an “anachronistic policy of confrontation” and urged the South Korean public to rise against the government. However, North Korea’s habitual criticism toward the Seoul government was missing in this year’s editorial. Noting the welcome about-face, some experts anticipate a positive change in inter-Korean relations this year, despite various political factors that may affect the security environment in the region.

Many have expectations for better inter-Korean ties this year, since North Korea refrained from making negative comments about the South Korean government and South Korean society in the latest New Year’s editorial. North Korea’s perception of its southern neighbor and its South Korea policy will be influenced by the potential requests and conditions Seoul will make when carrying out joint projects. But North Korea-U.S. relations are more important in determining Pyongyang’s South Korea policy. If the North holds talks with the U.S. in various forms, and if the communist nation rejoins the six-party talks, inter-Korean relations will be given a green light this year.

This positive outlook also leads to a possibility of an inter-Korean summit this year. Chosun Shinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan, reported on January 2nd that North Korea’s New Year’s message was considered an indication of a dramatic event to take place this year. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak mentioned the need for a turnaround in relations with North Korea this year during his New Year’s speech on January 4th. He also made a proposal for the creation of an inter-Korean office to have talks on a regular basis. Coming on the heels of the New Year’s message from North Korea, which expressed the North’s desire to improve ties with Seoul, the South Korean president’s comments add to the mounting speculation about a possible inter-Korean summit this year.

The New Year’s message clearly shows that North Korea is hoping for inter-Korean dialogue. Therefore, South and North Korea could coordinate potential discussion topics to some degree. If that happens, an inter-Korean summit may possibly be held at an early date. I think Seoul needs to map out plans to help inter-Korean relations stay right on course. South Korea should also take a flexible but strategic approach in its relations with involved countries such as the U.S., China and Japan. If South Korea pushes for an inter-Korean summit or bilateral dialogue in this context, the nuclear issue and various pending inter-Korean issues will make considerable progress this year, although those issues may not be resolved all at once.

In a major shift from its previous New Year’s editorials focused on political ideology, North Korea expressed its willingness to solve realistic problems and improve ties with the United States and South Korea in this year’s message. We’ll have to watch whether the North will actually implement its commitment. Here’s wishing the two Koreas will see a turning point in their relations in 2010, riding on the recent thawing mood.


[Interview] Seminar Enhances Mutual Understanding for Teenagers from Two Koreas
Teenagers from South and North Korea got together in a seminar room in Seodaemun, western Seoul, at the end of last year. The young students looked rather unfamiliar with the event, but they were eager to take part in every process of the seminar. The teenagers from South and North Korea were briefed on the result of their joint weekend program during the meeting, which was organized by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. Here’s Kim Mi-ri, assistant administrator of the group, to explain more about this gathering.

South Korean students and North Korean teenage defectors began to get together twice a month in the second half of 2009. The weekend program was designed to bring together the students from the two Koreas through cultural activities. And they got to know each other better and became friends. Having learned about the difficulties their North Korean friends face in the unfamiliar South Korean environment, South Korean students proposed holding a meeting to review their weekend program. This meeting is a little different from a seminar. Here, based on their experience, the participants suggest something the North Korean students may need in their daily lives. The young defectors then express their opinions about the new proposals, requesting a change or improvement if necessary. It is significant that the proposals are made from the standpoint of the students.

During the first session of the meeting, South Korean students reported on what they had learned in the course of mingling with their North Korean friends, such as the education system in North Korea and the processes North Korean defectors went through to arrive in South Korea. The meeting was primarily focused on casting away prejudices against the young defectors and understanding them better. A South Korean student shares her opinion.

Many South Koreans look at North Korean defectors with a biased view, and the newcomers find this most disturbing. Actually, I thought I would not communicate with North Korean students well before I participated in this program. But I discovered they were not any different from us at all. We share common interests. They’re just like us. I hope other people will realize this, too. That’s what this seminar is for.

During the second session, the teenagers voiced their frank opinions about the current education system, which the education community must listen to. Some suggested that systematic education be provided to South Korean students to help them correctly recognize newcomers from North Korea. Others pointed out that teachers needed to give more consideration to North Korean students who have a hard time in following the lectures in class. Meanwhile, North Korean participants were willing to share their stories. It looked like they were unfamiliar with this meeting since they had never experienced a similar event before, but they felt immensely proud of doing something, after presenting their stories in front of other people. Here’s a North Korean student.

I was very nervous, because I had never attended a seminar like this in North Korea. But I was glad to let people know more about North Korean society and to help them get rid of the prejudice that North Korean students would be different. It was difficult for me to follow the flow of this meeting at first, but I didn’t hesitate to ask questions and actively got involved in the meeting. And I’ve finally done something.

About 1,700 North Korean teenagers have defected to South Korea thus far. They will surely lead the unification process and a post-unification era, along with their South Korean counterparts. South Koreans have already accepted the newcomers as members of their society. Citizens must show more interest and consideration to the young defectors and help them make friends with South Korean students and resettle in South Korean society successfully.