By Choi Sung-jin
Now that Kim Jong-un has solidified his grip on the party and government, North Korea will focus on diplomacy, trying to improve relations with South Korea and other countries, an expert said here Thursday.
The reclusive regime included diplomatic experts in the newly created top decision-making body of the State Affairs Council and upgraded a committee for inter-Korean affairs to a state-level organization, indicating it will put priority on external relationships, including South-North ties, said Lee Kwan-se, chair professor at Kyungnam University, in an article.
Lee, a former vice minister of unification, said: “The Kim Jong-un regime, thinking it has completed realigning the internal system and securing the stability of its power base, has made clear its intention to focus on improving external relationships.”
On Wednesday, the Supreme People’s Assembly, the North’s rubber-stamp parliament, elected Kim as chairman of a new state apparatus called the State Affairs Commission that will replace the National Defense Commission, in a move that many North Korea watchers here interpreted as reflecting the shift of focus from a military-first to a party-first policy.
The North Korea expert also noted the North’s parliament upgraded the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland, which handles inter-Korean affairs, to a state-level organization.
“From now on, the committee will be the official counterpart of the South’s unification ministry,” Lee said, adding that the Kim regime will step up the dialogue offensive toward the South.
Coincidentally or not, Kim’s first official move since he took the new post was diplomacy. The (North) Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that Kim met a delegation led by Salvador Antonio Valdes Mesa, vice president of Cuba’s Council of State, who was in Pyongyang as a special envoy for President Raul Castro.
Earlier in the day, Kim sent a congratulatory telegram for the 95th founding anniversary of China’s Communist Party, in which the North Korean leader emphasized “friendship” and “peace and security of Northeast Asia,” the KCNA said.
Other South Korean experts also said these moves by the young North Korean leader are noteworthy as they reflect Kim’s intention to establish an image as a “normal” national leader through diplomatic activities.
“Through these moves, Kim has strongly hinted that he would take the initiative in the areas of unification, diplomacy and national security, too,” said Yang Moo-jin, professor of the University of North Korean Studies. “We cannot rule out the possibility of Kim visiting China this year.”