N. Korea’s party congress opens as Kim Jong Un’s own coronation

N. Korea’s party congress opens as Kim Jong Un’s own coronation. May. 07, 2016 07:16. by 한기흥기자 eligius@donga.com.

North Korea opened the seventh congress of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on Friday. At the first party congress in 36 years, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the event would unfold a blueprint for advancing the “final victory of our revolution.” In order to hold an extravagant event focusing on idolizing Kim Jong Un, the North conducted major decoration of Pyongyang under the slogan of the “70 day battle.” Unlike the previous congress where delegates from 118 countries attended, however, the latest event had few foreign guests and ended up as Kim’s own coronation.

Although the international community put some hopes on the possibility that Kim will imitate the Chinese-style reform and opening to develop the economy, the North’s attitude so far has dashed such expectations. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency referred to the North’s self-purported successes in nuclear weapons development as “defense scientists and engineers' biggest gift presented to the seventh party congress.” With nothing to present to its people but nuclear weapons and missiles, the North will possibly declare itself to be a nuclear power in the party covenant.

Ahead of the party congress, North Korea announced that the 70-day battle exceeded initial targets by 44 percent, with industrial production increasing by 60 percent from a year earlier. Pyongyang used the slogan “creating the Mallima legend” that alluded the “Chollima Movement” of the Kim Il Sung era. However, that only means that the North so harshly exploited its people. Unless Kim Jong Un gives up nuclear development, it is impossible for the North’s economy to be revived because of international sanctions.

At the sixth party congress 36 years ago, Kim Il Sung made a reunification proposal of the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo, in which the two Koreas would maintain their political systems, while calling for the dismantlement of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. This time, too, Pyongyang could make a similar reunification proposal or launch a peace offensive on the South with a view to causing an internal ideological division in the South. Seoul should also make thorough preparations for Pyongyang’s post-congress offensive against the South. Wendy Sherman, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, said Tuesday that the U.S., South Korea, Japan and China should launch discussions about how to handle potential contingencies in the North, such as a regime collapse or a coup.

Despite Kim Il Sung’s big talks on North Korea’s “dazzling future,” the whole world knows well what happened in the country for the past 36 years. Unless Kim Jong Un wakes up from his pipe dream of maintaining his power with nuclear weapons, what awaits him would be the same miserable fate as those of dictators in the world’s history.