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North Korea Suggests Three Goals in New Year’s Editorial

North Korea Suggests Three Goals in New Year’s Editorial

Posted January. 02, 2005 22:33,   

한국어

On January 1, North Korea, in a common editorial run in three state-run newspapers −the party, army, and youth league papers−urged its citizens “to advance altogether with the military-first revolution.” In the common editorial with the title “The Party, the Army, and the People should unite as one and make the military-first policy be more powerful,” North Korea said that “unity always wins, and it is a stronger sword than nuclear weapons.” North Korea’s common editorial outlines its policy goals for the New Year.

In the editorial, under the slogan of “Military-first Revolution,” North Korea presented its goals “to improve agricultural productivity”; “to strengthen the unity of society”; and “to strengthen Inter-Korean cooperation” as the three goals of this year.

Improving Agricultural Productivity-

The editorial said, “Agriculture is the main front of socialist economic construction this year.” It stressed, “We should focus and mobilize all our capability towards successful farming.”

An official in the Ministry of Unification analyzed, “It seems that the North Korean regime has found the fundamental cause of the crisis in its regime in lowered agricultural productivity, the starvation of its people, and a withering loyalty to the country.”

Prospects for the Inter-Korean Relationship-

“The year 2005 is significant as it is the fifth anniversary of the landmark 6-15 inter-Korea summit,” the editorial said. It also stressed that the two Koreas should realize three cooperations: “cooperation for national independence”; “cooperation for opposing war and achieving peace” and “cooperation for unification and patriotism.”

In its report, “Analysis of the New Year’s Common Editorial,” the Ministry of Unification said, “With the celebration events for the 60th anniversary of the independence of Korea and the inauguration of its Labor Party, North Korea will actively hold non-governmental-level events, and will focus on forming solidarity and union with Koreans overseas.” An expert, who wanted to be left anonymous, said, “This can be interpreted to mean that North Korea is pursuing another “united front strategy” to rally civil groups who follow their line instead of their governments.”

Prospects for North Korea-America Relations and the Nuclear Standoff-

The editorial said “The U.S. policies against the DPRK have become evermore pronounced, and this is increasing the danger of a war on the Korean peninsula.” It reiterated, “The U.S. should make a switchover in its hostile policy towards the DPRK.”

However, Professor Yu Ho-yeol of Korea University, who specializes in North Korea, said, “As it didn’t mention the nuclear issue directly and lowered the level of censure towards the U.S. than in past years, it seems that North Korea will return to the six-party talks after the second Bush administration starts and it finds just cause for the action.”



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