E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe once-mysterious well-dressed woman often seen by Kim Jong Un's side, was revealed to be his wife, Ri Sol Ju. News of the newlyweds took U.S. officials by surprise. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
BEIJING -- North Korea's new young leader has told chief backer China that his priority is to develop the decaying economy and improve living standards in one of the world's poorest states, the latest sign that he may be planning economic reforms.
Kim Jong Un, who took over the family dictatorship last December, has presented a sharply contrasting image to his austere father. He was shown most recently in public at a Pyongyang theme park with his young wife on his arm and riding a roller coaster in the company of a man reported to be a British diplomat.
"Developing the economy and improving livelihoods, so that the Korean people lead happy and civilized lives, is the goal the Korean Workers' Party is struggling towards," he was quoted by China's Xinhua news agency on Friday as telling Wang Jiarui, visiting head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department and Beijing's key interlocutor with the North.
Mismanagement, sanctions
Though the report offered no details, there has been mounting speculation that Kim's one-party state is looking at reforms to help lift an economy dragged down by decades of mismanagement and international sanctions, and rarely far from famine.
Those economic problems have been compounded by drought and then, last month, torrential rain and widespread flooding which left nearly 120 people dead and damaging some 46,000 hectares of crops.
North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un has been appointed the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army – further consolidating his power in the reclusive country. NBC News' Ed Flanagan reports from Beijing.
That is equivalent to 2 percent of the North's arable land, according to World Bank data, and the damage is certain to lower this year's harvest, which even in good years is not enough to feed the population.
The BBC also reported Friday that Pyongyang had requested food aid from the United Nations in the wake of the floods.
The report said:
UN officials in Pyongyang said the need for aid was urgent after visiting flood-hit parts of the country to assess damage ... Damage to infrastructure and farmland has affected the country's already dire food shortage problem.
In the face of broad sanctions over its missile and nuclear weapons programs, the North has been forced to rely heavily on aid from its giant neighbor China, the nearest the ostracized state has to an ally.
Richard Engel journeys to North Korea in this latest episode of Hidden Planet. Engel witnesses a military parade, one of the state events that North Korea has come to be known for, but he also journeys through parts of the country rarely seen by American eyes. Engel goes shopping in a North Korean store, visits computer science students who have never heard of Facebook and takes a train ride through parts of the country that reveal barren fields.
Any suggestions of strain in relations were brushed aside by the young leader, who was quoted a saying to Wang: "It is the unswerving will of the North Korean (ruling) party and government to continue (his father) Comrade Kim Jong Il's teachings of constantly deepening the traditional friendship between North Korea and China across the generations."
It appears to be the highest level diplomatic meeting Kim has held since taking power over 7 months ago.
Elizabeth Dalziel / AP
From work to play, see pictures from inside the secretive country.
In a sign he may be looking to emerge from such isolation, he has dispatched his head of parliament, Kim Yong Nam, to Vietnam and Laos, the North Korean KCNA news agency reported.
Kim, in his late twenties, has sought to impose his own stamp on the top leadership of North Korea, and recently ousted Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho, the country's leading military figure, who was seen as close to Kim Jong Il.
State TV: North Korea leader Kim gets married, tours amusement park
Kim Jong Un was named marshal of the army in a move that cemented his power. He already heads the Workers' Party of Korea and is First Chairman of the National Defense Commission.
When North Korea's new young leader spoke in public he surprised his own people and the world. Nothing like that had been seen or heard for years. Kim Jong Un's apparent openness was revolutionary, so too was his promise to end hunger. ITN's Angus Walker reports.
He is gearing up to experiment with agricultural and economic reforms after purging Ri Yong Ho for opposing change, a source with ties to both Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters.
Experts in Beijing say their government fears that economic malaise in North Korea could give way to damaging instability and torrents of refugees across the border in China, and Chinese leaders have long nudged Pyongyang to draw lessons from their own route to economic reform.
Analysts in Seoul said Kim was probably preparing for a package of reform measures on the economy and Wang's visit could be seen as a public show of support from China.
Richard Engel, NBC's chief foreign correspondent, shares a rare and revealing look inside the reclusive kingdom of North Korea.
"By emphasizing the importance of food and civilized living conditions, I think he wanted to request for China's support," said Yang Moo-jin, professor at University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. He said he expects Kim to unveil his reforms early next year after the scheduled government changes in China, South Korea and the United States.
But to date, Pyongyang has resisted any dramatic changes in its traditional top-down management of the economy.
China has also hosted now moribund talks among regional powers to coax North Korea into abandoning its nuclear weapons program. Xinhua reported that Kim said he was committed to "peace and stability" on the Korean peninsula, but did not mention those talks.
David Guttenfelder / AP
In this March 9, 2011 photo, a girl plays the piano inside the Changgwang Elementary School in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
Reuters contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
- Medals for poets, painters? Not at this Olympics but...
- Images: The lives of Syrian rebels fighting for freedom
- Olympics bring pride, hope to Afghanistan
- Poland confronts its role in Jewish deaths
- Obama authorizes secret US support for Syrian rebels
- London's funny, zip-lining mayor taken very seriously
- Good, bad or ugly? Street artists weigh in on Olympics
Leave a Comment:
Let's hope he looks to role models other than the US. With the rise of the Tea Party, "happy and civilized" just isn't part of the national psyche anymore.
Are you kidding? The current admin of this country has been the most divisive admin in the history of the USA. Obummer and the current crop of dumbocraps have engaged in class warfare against those who try and succeed and those who want to do nothing and get free money from the taxpayers. I would be willing to bet that any citizen of North Korea would give their eyeteeth to leave their country and live in a free country like we were before obummer.
Let's not forget that Obama isn't quite as bad as Bush and a far cry from being as bad as Kim Jong Il. Don't get me wrong, the USA sucks, but it's still about a light-year ahead of North Korea. That's 5.8786×10^12 miles if you're counting.
I trust North Korea more than Saudi Arabia.
Neither the Tea Party, nor Barack Obama merit mention in same context with either Kim Jong Un, or his happily deceased father.
People who attempt to draw such comparisons have no idea of what they are speaking.
Allow me to be the first (and probably only) thumbs-up for that post. It is much too astute and reasonable for most Newsvine readers. Statements that either the Tea Party or Barack Obama are worse to follow.
Kim Jong Un seems like a good man and I'm sure he will keep his word.
You have to break them in slowly. The people can't tolerate too much change too quickly.
Kind of like informing the Pubs that the world is round, and not the center of the universe.
Anyone else find this post extremely lolworthy? In particular, the point where he calls the current admin divisive and then immediately goes into a name-calling tirade of lame debunked talking points; all while somehow managing not to notice the glaring hypocrisy of doing so...
Optimist-2618173,
I have got a revelation for you. You are part of the problem.
Enjoy your day.
These people seem to forget the Cheney Regime started two wars for profit to make themselves wealthier and intentionally wrecked the American economy so bad it will probably never recover.
Yikes - under Obama, freedom movements are popping up spontaneously all over the world! You just don't have to go in with your cowboy-style military muscle in order to force 'freedom' and religion down the throats of others any more. That works about as well as tax cuts for the insanely-wealthy during wartime boosted our economy. Good people will seek out what's best for them over time.
Rot in Hell, Bush/Cheyney! Chicken sammiches and waffle fries for all you dutiful TeaBaggers!!
Ive got a better idea. Maybe he should shove a stick of dynamite up his ass and light it. He'd do more for the world that way...
..yeah, follow China's footsteps of gaining trust of other countries and pour money into their country which they will later on turn into more sophisticated weaponry ,become even more aggressive and start bullying their neighbor countries even more..
@optimist -To be fair there is plenty of blame to throw at both parties . Though I agree the Teaparty can be a PITA. One snot nosed Rookie Tea Totaler was on tv last night and I just wanted to paddle his arse until it was baboon red :)
@Shuklack - UHHHHH...............YEAH!!!
@Toredown - Hmmmm........Just wonderin' did President Obama have his red cape on with his Super Uncle Sam outfit when he did all of this or did he have some help? Thanks I enjoyed my CFA Grilled Chicken "Sammich" and fruit cup with unsweetened iced tea very much. Maybe you should try it today for lunch. Its pretty healthy for fast food. After all "Nothing says Yummy like Chik-Fil-A in the Tummy" ;) I do agree with your military, taxes, and good people comments for the most part though :)
As for young Kim I personally and sincerely hope that he manages to improve things for his people and can join the rest of the world. As we are having so much fun (actually compared to their conditions we got it made).
Sincerely,
A Moderate (or Liberal Conservative that was raised Democrat)
Maybe, just maybe rather than using this as an opportunity to point fingers back and forth across the aisle ("NO, YOUR PARTY SUCKS MORE!.... sad... lame...); we should hold out cautious hope that Un during his education abroad had his eyes opened to a small expectation of basic human rights, equalities, etc. Furthermore, a reasonable person could hope that said knowledge has led him to try and improve things now that he has the reins. Yes, in many generations the apple doesn't fall from the tree, but on occasion a new generation takes a different path. We can not assume that Un is a megolomaniac just because his father and grandfather were. Obviously this could all be political jockeying - something N. Korea has been doing for many years now, but can't we at least try to be optomistic untill Un proves to be just another Kim Jong X...
How is she a mystery women and a pop star at the same time?
"Kim Jun Un wants a "happy" North Korea" Well, don't we all!
Paw-no clearly you are the problem, so there!
KURTnmia
We can always tell the posters that were too young to actually remember why the US entered Iraq, because they spout unadulterated ignorant rhetoric that is based on plain political hatred.
Certalnly, there has been a few contractors that have made money working for the military since, but that has all been more recent and not from the start of the war, would you expect a company to work for the government for free? Especially in a high risk place? To this day there is still no oil pipeline between Iraq and the White House, it was never built (imagine that). The political grandstanding that claimed that war was all for oil has been proven wrong, look up on how much oil Iraq actually produced and how much made it to the US. People like you are part of the problem in this country, you perpetuate hatred based on political affiliation, not facts.
Optimist- The US is a role model you idiot. Do you not like freedom? IF you owned a business then you would definitely want less government control and regulation..right? People should be resposnsible for working and gaining skills so they can provide for themselves..right? Well that's what Tea Party people wants. If you don't want that then you are part of the leaches that form the far left in this country that believe the government should provide for you and control you! Wake us from your government controlled slumber!
China, is their friend, but they go to the U.N. for free food. Why don't they dismantle their weapons and sell them for scrap, then buy food with the money. What sucks, is the U.S. will be one of the first to give them food bought with money borrowed from China. China on the other hand will give absolutely nothing to the PRK.
He is taking a roll from the republicans in Congress when they vote no to have their temporary tax reduction go back to where they were before Bush II.
They want a happy and civilized America - starting with them. It really doesn't have to go past their own selfishness and greed, most of them, including Romney, don't even know about the middle class and their problems. They just can't relate.
What do they say about the definition of insanity?
Repeating the same mistakes but expecting different results?
This dude is just as dumb as his daddy.
He's role model, is their fake DisneyLand...where everything is "happy, and civilized"! :)
One thing that peole don't seem to realize: Before the Korean War, the northern part of the country was very wealthy compared to the southern part. It had all the industry, the largest cities and the ports while the south was agrarian and quite poor, though it did produce a national rice surplus. After the Korean War, in a complete information blackout, the people in North Korea assumed that no matter how bad it was, it was worse in the South. But in the last decade or so, people in the north have come to learn that this is not the case. And then they ask the "unstable" question, "Why can't we ....?"
I hope this guy has more sense than his loco daddy...
I think this guy is going to really change the whole North! Don't be surprised if he ends up dead or if we start seeing cars imported by north korea in the next 5 to ten years.
Now that he realizes that his threats will no longer get huge amounts of aid to buy them off like during the last administration, they are looking for handouts from others.
KTruant... Kurt didn't mention oil.
davefromdanapointca
Are you kidding? The current admin of this country has been the most divisive admin in the history of the USA
.....No Dave, the divisiveness that characterized this current administration is due primarily to the politically constipated GOP/TP @!$%#s in Congress, who stupidly announced to the country right after Obama took office that their goal was to make him a one term president, so everything they have done, or not done, to hamper the economic recovery in this country has to be viewed in the context of their incredibly moronic statement, of course, the mouth breathing dipsticks in this country refuse to see that, but that's why we still have so many problems.....any questions?
The more smartass side of me says that he's still an alien from another planet (America - F### YEAH!), but here's hoping that Kooky Kim III is more interested in playing nice with the rest of the world than his father and grandfather were.
North Korea has a long history of trickery and lies. That being said, I truly hope what Kim says is true. If North Korea will listen to what China tells them, then possibly they can come into the 21st century. If not, then things will stay just as they are for however long it takes for the citizens of that country to say enough is enough.
Unless the whole country rises up, the military would just silence them. Lethally.
China is not exactly the type of country you want to model yourself after. China has used its dictatorship to crush the human spirit for decades. In fact, the Chinese government will soon be facing its own collapse. Better Kim to look elsewhere, like S Korea or Japan for a role model.
The change has to come slow, but I'm very optimistic about how far he has come already. His multiple public appearances, getting married publicly, not caring so much about secrecy. We've seen more thing's to be optimistic about in the last 10 months then we had in the last ten years before him. I think he's ready and willing to take the steps towards opening up several channels from outside sources.
Happy and civilized........or I kill you !
What can you say about a leader who since taking office has spent more time at amusement park's than any other place in his country? His first tour of the condition's of his country and order's of repair, amusement park. His first official handshake picture, Mickey Mouse at the amusement park. His first appearance with his new wife, amusement park. His first day's of marriage, amusement park.
What get's me the most, he is the first N.Korean, of any part of the government or military or citizen's. That I have seen a picture of smiling from ear to ear many time's, where, at the amusement park. Beginning to see a theme park here to this new leader. I'll bet a UN offer of a week's vacation at each Disney theme park. With Mickey and Minnie being his host and tour guide's that he'd trade in all the nuke's in NK for it.
They should build Disneyworld #2 and add Seaworld. Eberyones bee berry happys......
I agree maddy...I actually think his age is right around were he can possibly be a leader where he doesn't want his people in fear or desperation. He seems happy and seems to want that for his people. But the other side of that proverbial coin...is that he is still young and impressionable by his peers that are close to him and know/want more of the previous. Here's hoping that he will make a good leader who really does want nothing but the best for his people.
I think he's just as tired of the crap his government has been giving the poor people and is making the switch and will do so quickly, hopefully he doesn't get killed in the process.
He would do well to reform the country, which may take years but if he eventually bring in some kind of democracy, he will live a long & comfortable life and will live forever as a national hero. If not he may end up like Assad staring down the barrel of a revolutionary gun.
Dont expect a democracy but I suspect it will be far more free at least to the extent that we'll open trade up with them and they won't starve every year.
Well they've been living in the bottom of the garbage barrel for decades, maybe just maybe they might try to rise out of it. (I'm not holding my breath)
Time will tell whether or not Kim will be a great leader that opens his country to being a civilized participant in the world, thereby releasing the great human potential of the people of NK. Or if he simply continues the country down the same path it has been on, with some window dressing changes, and dooms another generation or two to waste.
Do the right thing Kim. You will then go down in history as one of the greatest leaders of NK. The old ways have proven to be a failure. Don't doom yourself and the people of NK to being continued failures. You can do far better than that.
Took over the family dictatorship, lmao at that one.
Kim Jong Un promises 'happy and civilized' North Korea - I needed a good laugh this morning. Thanks.
Stalin tried to conquer the world after WWII with Cummunism, Kims Grandfathers time, Caused the Korean War and split up of Korea. Kims father carried on the Cold War after and vowed to over take South Korea and saw Communism Disslove but stood fast anyway. Now we have Kim who is into an entirely New World. I feel that no matter what happens here there will be 2 Koreas for possibly ever. Even with Chinas form of Government they have joined the world and I think that Kim has some good friends in China and he wants to see his country prosper and is getting some good advise. For a country that is situated badly financually as North Korea to actually build and launch a missle is one heck of an acheivement. Even though it failed it was a success in many ways. If he tears down the wall between North and South Korea and moves his country to prosparity he will be a famous leader in the history books of the future.
IF Adolph Hitler had only taken the invasion of poland to the point of bringing the Germans there as part of Germany and went NO further. The History Books would be hailing him as a great leader.
If Kim wants to bring his country forward let him and than we can bring our sodliers home from Korea.
Be happy or be Shot!
Somehow obama will take responsibility for the floods bringing about this change.
Yes, and somehow the Reich will come up with a lie about how Obama is a traitor and the sheep will eat it up.
"Happy and civilized" is more than most of America would be under a Repugnican administration. Repugnicans want mainly the 1% to be "happy," but even they realize that "civilized" is a rather tall order.
I hope that is true, but I don't see it happening. I think he's Kim Jong Un is just happy because he's finally getting laid.
I'm sure our State Department is looking at this as an opening to hopefully get North Korea to come to the table in sincere discussions. This looks to be our best opportunity in years.
Un is so full of crap. Expect more of the same crazy stuff that his Daddy and Grand Daddy did. N Korea is doomed just as sure as the US under Obama. He will let them starve while he rides roller coasters. Disney N Korea?
Wow. A country that borders two of some of our most significant allies that has been in isolation for decades which is showing significant changes in a very short amount of time and your not even slightly optimistic? I understand being cautious, but anyone who cares about our country and foreign policies has got to be crossing their fingers on this one.
Wow, he's not completely batchit crazy! Must take after his mother....
Fearless leader to the North Korean people - "Don't Worry, Be Happy"....
Looks like Kim Jong Un gets plenty to eat. He should be embarrassed that he's so fat when his people are starving!
So if he is going to follow China in the reform economics movement. Can we borrow from him ? I'm sure we're going to need it 16 trillion and counting.....
I hope 'Happy and Civilized' means 3 good-meals a day and a trip to the N. Korean Disneyland. That's good-meals as in large portions of cow's meat and fish with rice. And Disneyland as in Walt Disney's not prison camp.
Looks like Kim Jong Un's wife is doing a good job 'pacifying' this spoiled and fat teen aged kid. Thanks CIA !!
Peace on Earth might be the impossible dream, but this could be a step in the right direction.
If he really wants to make N Korea a better place then I suggest that he and the rest of the leaders in that country drink the Kool Aid.