Kim Jong-un's possible message gets attention during SPA meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claps during the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang, on Apr. 13. Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

Will North Korean leader Kim Jong-un deliver any public remarks over the country's souring relations with South Korea and even the United States during its upcoming major parliamentary meeting?

The 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) will convene in the North's capital city of Pyongyang on Thursday, Aug. 29, when the regime's leader is widely expected to make a speech on his updated plans for state management and adjusted diplomatic policies.

This will be the second time this year that the North's rubber-stamp legislature has held a meeting. Previously, the North's leader Kim blamed Washington for the fiasco of his second direct encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, urging him to fine-tune the country's nuclear negotiation strategy as a pre-condition for an early resumption of denuclearization talks.

Seoul and Washington are closely watching what messages the young leader will present this time, particularly on the agenda of the deadlocked nuclear dialogue.

Experts argued Kim would likely place top priority on the North's self-reliance policy to improve its moribund domestic economy, rather than making any concessions on the nuclear diplomacy.

“Chances look slim Kim will step up criticisms of Seoul and Washington, which would get in the way of smooth progress of the denuclearization dialogue during the parliamentary meeting,” Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University, said.

This is because Washington has not shifted its nuclear strategy since the breakdown in Hanoi, last February, so as of now, the North Korean leader has little to say about any updates on the nuclear dialogue.

Seoul's Ministry of Unification said it would continue to pay attention to any possible shift in North Korea's political situation following the meeting.

“The unification ministry will continue to keep a close watch on the North's situation, and tighten military readiness in collaboration with relevant authorities,” an official from the ministry said, Tuesday.