On January 1st, North Korea announced its customary New Year’s joint editorial, the nations’ first New Year’s message since the start of the Kim Jong-un regime. The editorial was jointly carried by the nation’s three main newspapers, which represent the Workers’ Party, the army and the youth militia. Entitled, “Let’s glorify 2012 as the year of pride and victory ushering in the golden age of a powerful and revived country by following the instructions left by comrade Kim Jong-il,” the joint editorial followed the format shown in the previous New Year’s messages in the Kim Jong-il era. Choi Jin-wook, researcher of the Center of North Korean Studies at the Korea Institute for National Unification, explains the significance of the New Year’s joint editorial, which provides a window into North Korea’s policymaking for the coming year.

North Korea began to publish its annual New Year’s joint editorial in 1995. Prior to that, the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung directly announced his New Year’s message. The editorial is jointly issued by the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, the Korean People’s Army and the Youth League. It reviews the previous year’s policies and set the new ones for the coming year in five areas—politics, the economy, the military, policies toward South Korea and foreign policies. Once the joint editorial is released, North Korean people hold rallies in schools, factories or workplaces throughout January, vowing to faithfully carry out the tasks stated in the joint editorial. They develop the rallies into a massive campaign dedicated to implementing the tasks throughout the year.

The editorial called for the military and the party to strengthen the leadership of Kim Jong-un, stressing internal unity centering on the new leader. It also reiterated the legitimacy of a third-generation power succession and pledged to focus on the light industry and the farming sector with an aim of building a strong and prosperous country. Also worth noting in the editorial was the nation’s intent to continue its military-first politics. Experts say the editorial underlines the need for stabilizing the Kim Jong-un regime and carrying out the instructions left by the deceased leader Kim Jong-il.

The editorial states categorically that Kim Jong-il equals Kim Jong-un, making clear the power transition to the younger Kim. I think it is inevitable for Kim Jong-un, whose power base is still weak, to follow his father’s instructions when managing state affairs during the period of solidifying his power. The editorial uses a number of condolatory expressions when referring to the late leader. Such expressions as “the biggest loss,” “inconsolable grief” and “overcome sorrow with strength and courage that is a thousand times more powerful” indicate Kim Jong-un’s filial piety and loyalty to his father, which the nation believes will prove helpful in stabilizing the new regime of the young leader. It turns out these expressions are identical to those used in the first joint editorial in 1995 after Kim Il-sung’s death. In brief, North Korea is struggling to consolidate the Kim Jong-un regime by inheriting the instructions of the late leader.

Regarding inter-Korean relations, North Korea condemned the South Korean government for its “inhumane and anti-national acts.” The hard-line stance is well evidenced in the statements issued by the National Defense Commission and the Committee for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland at the end of last month, saying that they will not deal with the Lee Myung-bak government forever. This is in stark contrast to North Korea’s conciliatory gestures shown in the editorials last year and in 2010, as seen in terms such as “an improvement in inter-Korean relations” and “dialogue and cooperation.” This year’s editorial stopped short of directly mentioning the name of President Lee Myung-bak, but it criticized Seoul again for its partial restriction on South Koreans’ visits to Pyongyang to pay tribute to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Experts say North Korea’s attitude suggests that it won’t be easy to hold authority-level dialogue between the two Koreas for the time being.

North Korea faces a regime crisis, in a sense, in the wake of Kim Jong-il’s death. With internal unity becoming increasingly important, North Korea believes relations with South Korea could pose a threat to the reclusive regime. It seems Pyongyang’s basic policy is to remain cold towards South Korea, using Seoul’s attitude toward condolences over Kim Jong-il as an excuse. Also, North Korea is quite discontented with the lack of benefits it had enjoyed during the years of the two previous liberal governments in South Korea, which advocated the so-called “sunshine policy.” Under the current Lee Myung-bak government, North Korea hasn’t received such benefits. Not surprisingly, it hopes a more appeasing government, which will be of greater advantage to North Korea, will be inaugurated in the South. To that end, North Korea wants to exploit ideological conflict within South Korean society to affect the general elections and the presidential election.

The editorial demanded a pullout of U.S. forces in South Korea for the first time in five years, stressing “the U.S. aggressor forces, the main obstacle to peace on the Korean Peninsula, should be withdrawn from South Korea.”

North Korea’s argument for the withdrawal of U.S. forces can be explained in two aspects. First, as to relations with South Korea, it is a move intended to instigate ideological conflict in South Korea. Secondly, it has to do with relations with the U.S. I think this is a more serious reason. North Korea engages in denuclearization talks with the U.S. Pyongyang has demanded that the two sides discuss a peace regime, not denuclearization, and that the U.S. drop its hostile policy toward North Korea. Even if the six-party talks resume, and even if a preliminary meeting takes place between North Korea and the U.S., the North argues that it will discuss a peace regime rather than the nuclear issue. To discuss the peace regime matter, it maintains that U.S. forces should be withdrawn from South Korea. I imagine North Korea brought up the issue of the U.S. Forces Korea as a preliminary step to avoid discussing its denuclearization at the six-party negotiations.

Media outlets in the U.S. are noting that North Korea’s New Year’s editorial neither denounced the U.S. government nor mentioned the nuclear issue. According to the Washington Post, North Korea gave no mention of its nuclear weapons program—a sign that the country might be open to further negotiations. It also analyzed that North Korea’s lack of its typical criticism of the U.S. indicates the nation is still willing for the third round of dialogue with the U.S., which has been postponed due to the death of Kim Jong-il. Domestic experts also interpret Pyongyang’s attitude as its intent to gain the upper hand in foreign relations down the road, including dialogue with the U.S. Meanwhile, this year’s editorial has a number of new expressions. For example, the terms “strong and revived” and “a strong country” appeared many times, replacing the phrase of “a strong and prosperous country” that the nation has long emphasized. Mr. Choi says North Korea indirectly admits its lack of preparation for becoming a strong and prosperous nation.

img src=https://worldimg.kbs.co.kr/src/images/oth_tnt/dot01.gif align="absmiddle"> For North Korea, 2012 is supposed to be the year of proclaiming a strong and prosperous country. The nation has promised its people to become an economic power, since it has already built a political, military and ideological power. The term, “a strong and prosperous country” was mentioned just five times in this year’s editorial, far fewer than 19 times in last year’s. Instead, the editorial uses toned-down slogans such as “strong and revived” and “a strong country.” Reflecting the reality of North Korea, these expressions are part of the nation’s efforts to lower public expectations. North Korea will likely seek to avoid responsibility for failing to achieve the initial goal by using the excuse that the nation is in a state of emergency after the death of Kim Jong-il. All these are viewed as signs of weakness of the current North Korean regime.

Experts say North Korea’s New Year’s editorial maintains the nation’s previous policy line, rather than presenting new plans. Now that the nation has revealed this year’s guiding principle, we’ll have to watch where the new Kim Jong-un regime will be heading.


[Interview] KNRC’s Volunteer Program for N. Korean Defectors
At the main auditorium of Kyunggi Girls’ High School in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, people are wrapping scarves around one another and exchanging warm greetings of “I love you.” The logo of “bodeumi” is printed in the scarves. These people are the members of a volunteer group dedicated to helping North Korean defectors living here in South Korea. They held a launching ceremony of the Bodeumi volunteer program of the Korean National Red Cross on December 8. Here’s Kim Jeong-ju, head of the Business Planning Team at the Korean National Red Cross, to explain more details.

Bodeumi, meaning, “those who embrace someone,” refer to warmhearted volunteers dedicated to helping the resettlement of North Korean defectors. Today, we hold this ceremony to appreciate their service and encourage them to renew their pledge to be more committed to their activities and relationship with the newcomers from North Korea. We named the volunteers bodeumi, with the hope that they will embrace the defectors warmly and make a fresh, positive start toward more professional activities.

The Korean National Red Cross has been conducting a volunteer program for North Korean expatriates since 2005. Under the program, South Korean volunteers set up relationships with the newcomers and help them adjust to the South Korean environment in various ways. Their activities include helping the North Koreans use government offices and banks, buy things in markets and find jobs. The Red Cross will offer professional education for the volunteers so they can engage in more realistic and diverse activities.

The Red Cross will increase professionalism of the volunteers, who will in turn become closer to the North Korean defectors to help them adapt to their new life, new regions and use their talents. Like a friend or family, the volunteers always stay close to the newcomers and help with what they need.

The launching ceremony was attended by 1,000 people who have already engaged in volunteer work and another 100 volunteers who have recently been selected. People from various walks of life applied for the program, from retired citizens who were planning a second life, to office workers and housewives, and even North Korean defectors who had received services by the Red Cross. Some Japanese people who are greatly interested in this issue also applied to become volunteers. Apart from the Bodeumi volunteer program, the Red Cross plans to expand its support programs for North Korean defectors this year, including establishing mentor-mentee relationships between South Korean citizens and North Korean newcomers. Ms. Kim expresses her hope that South Korean people will show more interest and consideration to the defectors this year.

On top of extensive education and expanded support programs, the Korean National Red Cross continues making efforts to help the defectors better understand Korean history and society. I’d like to ask your greater interest and participation in our activities. I hope you will regard the expatriates not as defectors who escaped North Korea but as your neighbors who have just moved to your town. If you treat them comfortably, they will be encouraged to resettle in a more proper way. I hope many more people will show interest in them and give them warm support.