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National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won reviews documents during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s intelligence committee on Nov. 27. (Yonhap News)

North Korea is expressing concern about having to start over from scratch on its relations with the US, as the relationship established between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump will be rendered useless with the inauguration of Joe Biden, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported on Nov. 27.

During a plenary session of the National Assembly’s intelligence committee that day, the NIS reported that there has been talk from North Korea about “things returning to the ‘strategic patience’ of the Barack Obama presidency,” according to Kim Byung-kee, the committee’s secretary from the ruling Democratic Party.

At the same time, the NIS also said Pyongyang has been “anticipating a more systematic approach than the Trump administration’s and looking forward to a possible summit after President-elect Joe Biden’s reference to meeting with Kim Jong-un,” he added. Explaining the meaning of a “systematic approach,” Kim said, “It means a ‘bottom-up’ approach based on reviews and policy research by officials rather than Trump’s style of unilateral ‘top-down’ decisions.”

North Korea was also reported to be adopting a cautious attitude toward Biden’s election as US president. Kim explained, “While [US election] results have typically been reported within 10 days, [the NIS] said that there haven’t been any related reports this time in the Rodong Sinmun or other state media.”

“North Korea is keeping a tight rein on its overseas missions, instructing them to avoid provoking the US and warning its ambassadors that they’ll be held accountable for any problems that arise. They’ve reportedly been ordered to be extremely cautious about their remarks,” Kim said.

While the North has announced that the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) will take place at the beginning of 2021, the NIS also said the congress might be delayed as part of the North’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. “North Korea is supposed to hold another military parade during its 8th Congress, which will presumably be a show of force aimed at the next US administration,” the NIS said.

The NIS cited North Korea’s execution of a high-profile money changer as one example of its “unreasonable response” to recent economic difficulties, including inflation and underutilization of industrial facilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly had a money changer in Pyongyang executed after the exchange rate plunged at the end of October. In August, Kim ordered the execution of a senior official who’d violated an import ban imposed as part of the North’s efforts to contain COVID-19.

North Korea has reportedly shut down even its fisheries and salt production out of fear that seawater is contaminated with the coronavirus.

“North Korea blockaded the ports of Hyesan, Nasan and Nampo at the beginning of this month after foreign imports turned up there, and it recently placed Pyongyang and Chagang Province under lockdown, too. Economic difficulties are mounting as the restrictions become prolonged,” the NIS explained.

Trade between North Korea and China plunged to US$530 million between January and October, just one-quarter of the value from the same period last year. The suspension of imports from China has caused the price of food products, including sugar and artificial flavoring, to quadruple. In particular, the price of artificial flavoring has soared from 16,500 won (US$14.91) to 75,900 won (US$68.58), while the price of sugar has jumped from about 6,000 won (US$5.42) per kilogram at the beginning of the year to 27,800 won (US$25.12) today, the NIS reported.

Ha Tae-keung, the ranking member of the People Power Party (PPP) on the committee, said that the ban on importing raw materials and equipment had caused factory utilization to drop to the lowest level since Kim Jong-un became leader. “North Korea is simultaneously dealing with three problems — sanctions, the coronavirus and flooding — and the language it’s using expresses a growing sense of panic,” the lawmaker explained.

“Since the North isn’t accepting materials from the outside,” Ha added, “[Kim] is under a lot of pressure. That sometimes comes out in fits of rage and emotional outbursts, which explains the increasing number of unreasonable orders.”

“Kim’s severe paranoia is evident in his refusal to let in goods from the outside world because of the coronavirus. China has 110,000 tons of rice in Dalian harbor that it has promised to send to North Korea, but the North Koreans are reportedly refusing to accept the shipment,” Ha said.

The NIS also told committee members that it had blocked a North Korean attempt to hack information about a vaccine from a South Korean pharmaceutical firm.

“Reports about an execution by firing squad at a Pyongyang medical school don’t appear to be accurate. A senior official at the school has been dismissed from his post and is currently being investigated over corrupt handling of admissions, extorting money from people applying for the dormitory, and selling positions at the school,” the NIS said.

By Kim Won-chul, staff reporter

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