On January 25, 2024, according to reports from the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, presided over an expanded meeting of the Party’s Political Bureau on Mount Myohyang. During the meeting, Kim Jong-un publicly acknowledged the actual collapse of the local rationing system, stating, “It is impossible to guarantee the smooth supply of basic food and essential goods for the local people.”
From January 23 to 24, Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, held an expanded meeting of the Party’s Political Bureau on Mount Myohyang, stating, “It is impossible to guarantee the smooth supply of basic food and essential goods for the local people. This is a serious political problem that the party and the government cannot avoid at all.” In other words, Kim Jong-un personally and openly admitted the actual collapse of the local rationing system. Moreover, this is the first time that Kim Jong-un has held a meeting of the Party’s Political Bureau in a local area, rather than in the Party building in Pyongyang. This also indicates significant instability in the local sentiment.
The January 25 edition of the “Rodong Sinmun,” read by North Korean residents, devoted five pages from the front page to the fifth page to publish Kim Jong-un’s speech at the “Mount Myohyang Party’s Political Bureau Expanded Meeting.” Kim Jong-un criticized officials, stating, “Some policy guidance departments and economic agencies use evasive words like not finding realistic and revolutionary possibilities.” He also stated, “Only a few counties have built local industrial factories under the conditions, while the rest of the counties have a passive attitude, hastily preparing for future construction.”
Following the Supreme People’s Assembly at the end of last year, Kim Jong-un once again emphasized “local development 20×10” at this party meeting. This involves constructing modern local industrial factories in 20 counties each year, raising the material and cultural living standards of the entire North Korean population within 10 years. He stated, “The Party Central Committee will evaluate the party spirit, people’s spirit, and responsibility of the party secretaries in provinces, cities, and counties based on the implementation of the local development policy.” He demanded that each member of the Political Bureau take responsibility for a city or county. In other words, if the results are not achieved in the future, they will be held accountable.
However, experts generally believe that the likelihood of success for this plan is very small. The reason is the severe scarcity of materials, electricity, and other resources needed for factory construction.
In North Korea, all basic infrastructure such as roads, housing, and electricity is concentrated in Pyongyang, where the privileged class resides. The urban-rural gap is so large that it is referred to as the “Pyongyang Republic.”
During the “Arduous March” era of the 1990s, North Korea’s national rationing system had effectively collapsed, and since then, most North Korean residents no longer rely on rationing but obtain the necessary food through the black market. After announcing the normalization of the grain rationing system in October 2005, only some areas, including Pyongyang, resumed normal rationing. After the currency reform in November 2009, North Korea attempted to restore the national rationing network to restart the planned economy, but it was only carried out with a focus on distributing food to urban workers and party members.
Regarding the venue of the meeting on that day, North Korea only mentioned Mount Myohyang and did not disclose the specific location. Based on the photos released by the “Rodong Sinmun,” it appears to be a modern building with a meeting room that can accommodate hundreds of people. According to South Korean government officials who have visited the area, “As far as I know, near Mount Myohyang, apart from the special pavilion where Kim Il-sung died in the past, there is no building that can accommodate hundreds of people,” and “If it is not the special pavilion, it may be a new building constructed after Kim Jong-un came to power.”
Compiled from North Korean “Rodong Sinmun” and South Korean “Chosun Ilbo.”
