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North Korea is experiencing a severe food crisis. Although the famine has not yet arrived, the situation is serious enough for the regime to call a plenary session to define solutions. After four days of debate, Kim Jong-un unveiled his plan to overcome the crisis.
With RFI correspondent in Seoul, Célio Fioretti.
It’s a step back. To overcome the food crisis, Kim Jong-un wants to return to agricultural planning. Since the famine of the 1990s, the food industry has enjoyed a certain freedom of production.
The assembly that took place over four days in North Korea, called by the North Korean leader, marks in this sense a reinforcement of the authority of the regime in the sector.
Work more
As part of his “rural revolution” outlined in 2021, Kim Jong-un wants farmers to work harder to fill the country’s reserves. The leader has also called for improving agricultural equipment.
But observers doubt the effectiveness of these measures. Although state control is being tightened, details about the material means applied remain vague.
difficult months
The consequences of the return to planning remain uncertain, but specialists point out that it was the abandonment of planning that allowed the regime to emerge from the famine. They also point to the lack of incentives for farmers to produce more.
While new US sanctions have just been announced, the next few months will be difficult for the North Koreans.