This year is a crucial one in North Korea’s history as it tries to build a “great, prosperous and powerful nation’’ befitting the April 2012 centenary of the birth of national founder Kim Il Sung, the new leader’s grandfather.
“Glorify this year 2012 as a year of proud victory, a year when an era of prosperity is unfolding,’’ the North said. “The whole party, the entire army and all the people should possess a firm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong Un unto death.’’
North Korea said it would boost its military, and boasted that it was “at the epochal point of opening the gates of a thriving country,’’ with parts of Pyongyang “turned into socialist fairylands.’’
Still, the message acknowledged the country’s food crisis, saying “the food problem is a burning issue.’’ Pyongyang had been in talks with the United States on food aid, but they stopped because of Kim Jong Il’s death.
The United Nations has said a quarter of North Korea’s 24 million people need outside food aid and that malnutrition is surging, especially among children.
The North’s message said organic farming methods should be used and that farming machinery and materials should be provided, but it did not go into specifics for improving food supplies.
The message, carried in a joint editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, Joson Inmingun and Chongnyon Jonwi newspapers, said North Korea must build on the foundations laid last year and turn itself “into an economic giant.’’
The power and coal industries also will be a focus and the North Korean capital Pyongyang will be turned into a world class city, it said. The message said information technology and bioengineering would help drive the economy, but gave no details.
“This year’s message shows North Korea will focus on the economy and ideological solidarity to establish stability’’ for Kim Jong Un’s leadership, said Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Korea University in South Korea.
The message didn’t include the country’s typical criticism of the U.S. and avoided mentioning its nuclear ambitions, and that suggested Pyongyang is willing to continue talks with Washington to win aid, Yoo said.
