The New Year Address can be seen as one of the DPRK’s oldest traditions – it was first delivered by Kim Il Sung in 1946, and since then, at the beginning of every year, North Koreans have been treated to a lengthy speech delivered by their leader.
For a few years under Kim Jong Il the speech was presented as a ‘joint editorial’ of major newspapers, but this hardly changed its nature: the New Year Address is a report of how North Korea’s leaders see the country’s situation, and also offers hints as to the goals
The New Year Address can be seen as one of the DPRK’s oldest traditions – it was first delivered by Kim Il Sung in 1946, and since then, at the beginning of every year, North Koreans have been treated to a lengthy speech delivered by their leader.
For a few years under Kim Jong Il the speech was presented as a ‘joint editorial’ of major newspapers, but this hardly changed its nature: the New Year Address is a report of how North Korea's leaders see the country’s situation, and also offers hints as to the goals they hope to achieve the next year.
Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5 - an experience you can read about here. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.