[Editorial] N. Korea needs more pragmatic and flexible approach in addition to “self-reliance”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) at the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang on Apr. 10. (KCNA/Yonhap News)

During the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) on Apr. 10, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un emphasized “self-reliance” and announced that the North will maintain its policy line of building the economy. These remarks are significant since they represent Kim’s first official endorsement of that policy line since the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi at the end of February. It’s also notable that the North has outlined its position shortly before the South Korea-US summit.

Kim’s emphasis on self-reliance appears to underline his refusal to bow to pressure from the US, which has vowed to maintain sanctions on the North until it agrees to an all-inclusive deal. It’s unfortunate and regrettable that Kim appears to have returned to a rigid attitude rather than exercising flexibility in the North Korea-US negotiations. That said, it’s significant that Kim has hinted that he won’t deviate from his current strategy of going all in on the economy. Despite the breakdown of talks in Hanoi, the goal of building up the national economy is likely to keep Kim from military provocations and aggressive behavior that would torpedo the negotiations. It’s also encouraging that Kim neither directly criticized the US nor made any mention of military action or nuclear weapons or missiles.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) at the WPK headquarters in Pyongyang on Apr. 10. (KCNA/Yonhap News)

Reports by North Korean media indicate that Kim mentioned the phrase “self-reliance” no fewer than 28 times during the WPK Central Committee’s meeting. Kim described self-reliance and a self-sufficient economy as the “foundation of the survival of North Korean socialism” and “the eternal life line that determines the destiny of the revolution.” Kim made no effort to hide the fact that the policy of self-reliance is aimed at countering sanctions: “We must deal a telling blow to hostile forces who mistakenly believe sanctions will bring the DPRK to its knees by more vigorously advancing socialist construction under the uplifted banner of self-reliance.”

Despite this, it’s noteworthy that Kim gave a vote of confidence to the officials who have been handling negotiations with the US. Vice Chairman Kim Yong-chol kept his position as WPK vice chairman, defying predictions that he would be demoted in the wake of the Hanoi summit, while Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui got a promotion, being given a seat on the WPK Central Committee. This is fortunate, since it implies that North Korea doesn’t intend to abandon its current line of denuclearization talks for the time being.

But as long as North Korea keeps insisting that there can be no compromise and trotting out that old chestnut of “self-reliance,” a strategy of dubious effectiveness, it won’t be easy to push the denuclearization talks out of their current rut. This is a time that demands a more pragmatic and flexible approach. Furthermore, the North desperately needs to jump back into inter-Korean dialogue, which has been stalled since the Hanoi summit, and actively seek a breakthrough.

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