Kim Jong Il Plans to Learn From Vietnam

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il announced he would try learn from the Doi Moi reforms of Vietnam, Hong Kong’s Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly) reported on Sunday. It has been also reported that he will visit Vietnam in person soon.

Kim’s plans were made public by Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who accompanied Vietnamese Leader Nong Duc Manh on a three-day visit to Pyongyang.

Khiem said, “Kim praised the results of the Doi Moi reforms achieved over the past two decades. He said he is very willing to accept our invitation to Vietnam to learn from our experiences.”

Yazhou Zhoukan said North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong Il’s five-day visit to Vietnam that began last Friday was to make the necessary preparations before Kim Jong Il’s visit to the country.

With the visit of Vietnam’s Communist Party chief to North Korea for the first time ever in 50 years, the two communist nations are on the path to establishing intimate ties.

The North Korean leader welcomed his Vietnamese counterpart at the airport, the best greeting he pays to his most important visitors. Only ten days after Mahn’s visit, the North Korean prime minister and his delegation visited Vietnam, not just to enhance diplomatic relations, but also to learn real economic lessons.

It has been reported that the entire delegation dropped by Vietnam’s planning and investment branch and engaged in a long session of discussions on opening markets and economic developments behind closed doors. The delegation is also scheduled to observe successful reform cases on site in sectors, including manufacturing and farming.

zsh75@donga.com