Risingbd Online Bangla News Portal

Dhaka     Friday   29 March 2024

Kim warns of historic economic crisis in North Korea

Desk Report || risingbd.com

Published: 16:54, 9 April 2021  
Kim warns of historic economic crisis in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for another “arduous march” against severe economic difficulties, appearing to compare the situation to a 1990s famine during which hundreds of thousands of people died, reports theguardian.

Kim had previously said his country faces the “worst-ever” situation due to factors including the coronavirus pandemic, US-led sanctions and natural disasters, but this is the first time he has publicly drawn a parallel with the deadly famine.

North Korea monitoring groups have not detected any signs of mass starvation or a humanitarian disaster. However, Kim’s comments suggest how seriously he views the current difficulties – which foreign observers say are the biggest test of his nine-year rule.

“There are many obstacles and difficulties ahead of us, and so our struggle for carrying out the decisions of the Eighth Party Congress would not be all plain sailing,” Kim told lower-level ruling party members on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

During a party congress in January, Kim ordered officials to build a stronger self-supporting economy, reduce reliance on imports and make more consumer goods. But North Korea’s problems are the result of decades of mismanagement, self-imposed isolation and sanctions over its nuclear program, analysts say.

Chinese data show North Korea’s trade with China, its biggest trading partner and aid benefactor, shrank by about 80% last year following North Korea’s border closure as part of stringent pandemic measures.

Experts say North Korea has no other option because a major coronavirus outbreak could have dire consequences on its broken health care system.

Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesman at South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said on Friday there were multiple signs that North Korea was taking steps to ease controls on its border with China, including the North’s own reports that it established new anti-virus facilities on the border and passed new laws on the disinfection of imported goods.

Some experts say North Korea’s ongoing difficulties will not lead to famine because China won’t let that happen. They say China worries about North Korean refugees flooding over the border or the establishment of a pro-US, unified Korea on its doorstep.

Agencies

Dhaka/Nasim