One of the best decisions by Kim Jong Un’s government so far has definitely been the move to conduct a series of economic reforms. Readers of NK News are probably well aware of these changes, which focus on agricultural and industrial management.

The former was conducted in two stages. Under Kim Il Sung, North Korean farmers were grouped in large work units – roughly 15-20 households. They worked together and all their harvest was confiscated by the state. This, essentially, was a form of state serfdom.