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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes part in the vote for the Supreme People’s Assembly

“No revolutionary tasks stand before us other than the improvement of the economy and people's daily lives.”

This was the first official message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un following his second summit with the US, which ended without yielding an agreement. It was reported on Mar. 9 by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as having been expressed in a letter from Kim to participants in the Second National Conference of Primary Information Workers of the Party in Pyongyang on Mar. 6–7.

“The Supreme Leader stressed the need to concentrate all efforts of information and motivation on accelerating socialist economic construction,” the report said in referring to the party’s major tasks in ideological education.

In the letter, Kim also called for an “information offensive for making the Korean people further display their might in the spirit of self-reliance.”

While the report did not mention any direct references to the collapse of the second North Korea-US summit, experts read the letter as sharing Kim’s “post-Hanoi” message.

“North Korea has entered its fourth year since launching its five-year strategy for national economic development,” noted Koo Kab-woo, professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

“The message appears to stem from the fact that Kim may no longer have any areas to produce results in except the economy,” Koo said. The interpretation suggests that after some interest in whether Kim might adopt a “new path” in the wake of the summit collapse, his message indicates that he plans to focus for now on channeling all energies into developing the socialist economy.

Also noteworthy in Kim’s letter is its message reading, “The truth becomes obscured when a leader’s revolutionary activity and aspect are mystified.”

“Absolute loyalty emanates when one is captivated by the leader as a human being and comrade,” it continued.

Koh Yu-hwan, professor at Dongguk University, said, “This should be seen as underscoring that propaganda and agitation no longer consist of deifying a leader, but that a leader’s leadership can be established by producing economic results and improving the people’s lives.”

Kim’s repeated emphasis on “the people first” and “the state first” were seen as being in the context of calling for economic results.

“It is highly significant simply in terms of him referring officially to the leadership system,” Koo said.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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