“Suspicious Connection between N. Korea’s Power Struggle and Reforms”

The Independent, a British newspaper, reported in its article on December 29 that North Korea’s internal power struggle could be connected to its scope and pace of economic reforms.

The paper quoted some anonymous diplomats as saying that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may have purged Vice Director of the ruling Korean Workers Party’s Organization and Guidance Department Chang Song Taek, his brother-in-law, and 80 close associates for that reason.

The daily also wrote that Kim Jong Il may announce new policies on politics and the economy before his birthday in February.