I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
NK leader’s China trip likely driven by food shortage
By Kang Hyun-kyung
They said Kim is likely to discuss ways to further deepen economic ties with the North’s decades-long benefactor.
The North Korean leader will also likely try a last-ditch effort for policy coordination with China before responding to South Korea’s call to hold inter-Korean nuclear talks.
Cheong Seong-chang, senior fellow of the state-run Sejong Institute, said that a North Korean state-run media editorial published early this year featured three components of its foreign policy posture, adding this could provide clues to Kim’s motives to travel three times in the space of one year. Kim visited China in May last year before a trip last August.
“The editorial highlighted the need for beefing up ties with China, the wait-and-see attitude when dealing with the United States, and the policy mix of engagement and hostility toward South Korea,” Cheong said.
“It is worth mentioning that the New Year editorial is the first time that Pyongyang brought attention to the need for bolstering ties with Beijing since 1986. This China policy was last seen in the editorial at that time.”
The North Korea watcher said the tone of the editorial was a reflection of the Stalinist state’s desperate economic situation.
In March, the United Nations said millions of North Koreans go hungry due to bad weather conditions and poor management of the economy.
The World Food Program, which sent a team to the reclusive nation to investigate the food situation there in March, called on the international community to resume food aid to the country, expressing concern over crop shortages.
During the China trip, the ailing North Korean leader is expected to visit the so-called Changchun-Jilin-Tumen development district again.
In 2009, the Chinese government unveiled an ambitious development plan in the region designed to revitalize the poor northeastern province.
Kim toured the area last August.
His itinerary then included the city of Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province.
Sources said Kim stayed at a hotel in the city Friday and will head to Changchung, another northeastern city Saturday.
The city has several historic sites where Korean independence fighters teamed up with the Chinese to fight against their common enemy Japan in the 1930s when Korea was colonized by Japan.
The late Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il’s father, was one of the independence fighters who joined the anti-Japanese movement at the time.
Analysts said that spending a night in the city of Mudanjiang hinted that Kim’s China trip also had something to do with the North’s dynastic succession of his youngest son Jong-un.
By visiting those sites, the younger Kim, if he accompanied him, will be viewed by grass-root North Koreans as a legitimate successor, as his grandfather played a part in achieving independence from Japan.
Until Friday night, it was not confirmed whether the North’s next leader accompanied his father, although sources didn’t rule out the possibility that the heir-apparent was part of the delegation.
Cheong said that the North Korean leader might want to listen to the Chinese leader’s view of South Korea’s proposal to hold inter-Korean nuclear talks just as he did back in 2000 before the first inter-Korean summit.
“Kim visited China in May, 2000 about a month before he sat down with the late former President Kim Dae-jung for the inter-Korean summit held in June. The North Korean leader went there for policy coordination with China over the key issue before he made a decision,” the North Korea watcher said.