Rare statement may confirm shortage of goods
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly ordered an increase in imports of consumer goods in order to meet the demand from residents of the communist country. According to a journal published by the North’s Kim Il-sung University, Kim called on his staffers to focus the country’s resources on producing only necessary consumer goods, and to step up imports of products that are less efficiently produced in North Korea. The paper paraphrased Kim’s words by saying that there is no country in the world that can produce every light industrial product 100 percent on its own, and that North Korea cannot satisfy demand, even if it uses every possible way to produce goods that it finds difficult or impossible to make. The paper stressed that according to the changes in the international environment and the particular condition of the country, its light industries should be revamped and international trade should be stepped up. It is rare for the North Korean leader to publicly encourage an increase in imported goods. Experts say that Kim’s recent remarks could be interpreted as a confirmation of the shortage of consumer goods in the country, a lack ordinarily in place because it has focused mainly on the development of heavy industries, but also perhaps stemming from the financial sanctions placed upon the North following its missile tests in July and its nuclear test in October.North Korea’s government espouses a philosophy of ’juche’, or self-sufficiency. But since the 1990s, North Korea has granted some of its public agencies more autonomy to do business with foreign countries in a effort to address the shortage of its consumer products. Most of North Korea’s goods come from border trade with China. Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
