Kim Jong-Un's stewardship records seven years in North Korea
By Ngozi Egenuka, Chibuike Nwachukwu and Kayode Bello
[FILE] This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on November 1, 2018 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the construction site of the Hot Spring Tourist Area in Yangdok County, South Phyongan Province. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP) / – South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT
Today makes it seven years North Korea entered a new regime with Kim Jong-Un, who took over power after the demise of his father Kim Jong-Il in 2011.
He is the third and youngest son of Korean military leader Kim Jong-Il, who, under the Communist Worker's Party, had ruled North Korea since 1994; and the grandson of Kim Il-Sung, his father's predecessor.
As the Korean leader marks the anniversary of his ascension to throne, it may interest one to note that there are indices of growth, development and achievements, which have not been on exhibitions at the world stage because of major reports of human rights violation and suppression of opposition in that country.
During a visit to North Korea, the Chairman of the African Committee for Friendship and Solidarity with the Korean People, Mr. Damian Uzoma had a very positive impression.
This is what he said: "My impressions are very excellent. I am deeply moved by what I saw. One of the core things I observed was the profound single heart that the Korean people have. The tremendous pride that I saw in the trip was amazing."
North Korea under the leadership of Kim Jong-Un finds greater pleasure and satisfaction in investing for the welfare of the people and for posterity, despite the international hostilities it faces.
In the spring 2013, Kim Jong-Un, took an intermediary step towards improving the economy by announcing the byungjin policy of parallel development of the economy and nuclear weapons.
This effectively halved the relevance of the military from its previous status of being the exclusive concern of the leader under the military first songun policy.
In his New Year speech in January 2018 and during the 3rd Plenary Meeting of the 7th WPK Central Committee in April 2018, Kim Jong-Un went a step further and declared that the goals of byungjin were achieved, and the new strategic line of the Party would be to concentrate all efforts on socialist economic construction.
Within just five years, North Korea went from "all for the military" to "all for the economy" approach.
He is the first ruler of the dynasty to implement market-oriented reforms.
Experts agree that over the past decade the country has not only recovered from the disastrous famine of the late 1990s, but has also experienced significant economic growth.
Pessimists put the annual growth rate at about 1.5 per cent, while the optimists believe it may be close to four percent as at 2015.
This growth was brought about, above all, by the emergence of the private economy. Nowadays, there are private mines, truck companies and oil refineries in North Korea.
The results of the reforms were predictable: the past few years have seen record-level harvests, and North Korea is now close to self-sufficiency in food production.
Regarding science and technology, the Korea Today revealed that the Pyongyang Optical Fibre Communication Cable Factory in North Korea fulfilled its annual cable production plan last September, being the third year of carrying out the five-year strategy for national economic development.
Not too long, teachers and researchers of the Kim II Sung University in North Korea received World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) diploma and medal (WIPO Prize) for their invention related to the making and use of bone desorption inhibitor. They were Kim Song Un, Jang Yong Man, and Jang Kum Ju.
Concerning education, North Korea runs a universal, free and compulsory education system for the period of 11 years.
"Korea has, in essence, a universal compulsory education system. All the measures the state takes for education, including the composition of the education system, the distribution of educational institutions and the introduction of free education, are based on the principle of helping everyone learn.'' Korea Today reported.
During his stay in power, North Korea has recorded series of mended relationships with other countries such as U.S.A, South Korea and China.
On January 9, 2018, representatives from North and South Korea met at the Panmunjom truce village, on the border between the two countries, for their first discussions in more than two years.
The talks led to an arrangement in which North Korea would participate in the following month's Winter Olympics.
Kim and South Korean president, Moon Jae-in met on April 27, 2018, at Panmunjom and crossed over to the South Korean side, the first time a North Korean ruler had done so.
The partly televised meeting was marked by moments of levity, with Kim jokingly apologizing for interrupting his counterpart's sleep with late-night missile testing.
But they also addressed the serious matters, which include a possible conference with the U.S. and China that would formally end the Korean War, as well as efforts to do away with the nuclear weapons that Kim's regime had been developing.
In late March 2018, Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks at China's Great Hall of the People. This followed Kim's surprise visit since taking power in 2011.
On June 12, 2018, Kim and Trump had a meeting, the first between a member of the Kim ruling family and sitting U.S. president.
The two leaders signed a joint statement in which Trump "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea and Kim "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Kim has built no tolerance for incompetency over the years. The technique of publicly holding incompetent officials accountable for all the shortcomings of the economy is not an invention of July 2018.
In May 2012, state media reported Kim Jong Un's "irritated look" followed by harsh words of criticism after finding out about the bad shape of the Mangyŏngdae Funfair.
The message to his audience, then and now, was: I know that not everything is yet perfect in our country; this is not my fault, but rather the fault of underlings who just do not do what I told them; but there is no need to worry, as soon as I find out, I will fix it.
Kim II Sung UniversityKim Jong-UnMoon Jae-InNorth KoreaWIPOWorld Intellectual Property Organization