North Koreans survive on private business — and Kim will fail to stop them



Analysis North Koreans survive on private business — and Kim will fail to stop them North Koreans also resisted former DPRK leader Kim Jong Il’s attempts to clamp down on the country’s private economy Andrei Lankov February 15, 2021 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Rodong Sinmun Last month, North Korea made a dramatic U-turn from its reformist economic policies of 2012 to 2017 and reverted back to de facto Leninism — in other words, emphasizing central planning and the command economy while prohibiting private entrepreneurial activity. Before then, Kim Jong Un’s early rule was marked by initially successful economic policies that were the same as Chinese reforms in the 1980s in all but name. But at the Jan. 2021 Eighth Party Congress, the North Korean leader made it clear that these measures no longer serve his interests. He believes (perhaps wrongly) that in tough times the only way to survive is to keep everything, including the economy, under the direct control of the central bureaucracy. Last month, North Korea made a dramatic U-turn from its reformist economic policies of 2012 to 2017 and reverted back to de facto Leninism — in other words, emphasizing central planning and the command economy while prohibiting private entrepreneurial activity. Before then, Kim Jong Un’s early rule was marked by initially successful economic policies that were the same as Chinese reforms in the 1980s in all but name. But at the Jan. 2021 Eighth Party Congress, the North Korean leader made it clear that these measures no longer serve his interests. He believes (perhaps wrongly) that in tough times the only way to survive is to keep everything, including the economy, under the direct control of the central bureaucracy. Become a member for less than $4 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Analysis

North Koreans survive on private business — and Kim will fail to stop them

North Koreans also resisted former DPRK leader Kim Jong Il’s attempts to clamp down on the country’s private economy

Andrei Lankov February 15, 2021

North Koreans survive on private business — and Kim will fail to stop them

Rodong Sinmun

Last month, North Korea made a dramatic U-turn from its reformist economic policies of 2012 to 2017 and reverted back to de facto Leninism — in other words, emphasizing central planning and the command economy while prohibiting private entrepreneurial activity.

Before then, Kim Jong Un’s early rule was marked by initially successful economic policies that were the same as Chinese reforms in the 1980s in all but name. But at the Jan. 2021 Eighth Party Congress, the North Korean leader made it clear that these measures no longer serve his interests. He believes (perhaps wrongly) that in tough times the only way to survive is to keep everything, including the economy, under the direct control of the central bureaucracy.